Night Vigil
by Wishing-for-a-Zoro-plushie
Summary: AU ZoLu SanNam Ever been too afraid to go out at night? Ever watched a scary movie, and horrified yourself with thoughts of demons and night creatures? Well, there's cause to be afraid. Not your average vampire story! Rated for adult themes.
1. It begins

**AU. Another fic eh? Well, hopefully this fic won't be put up until after I have finished another one. Like, Alone or something. But, still. Okay, I am planning on making this fic pretty dark, dangerous, some blood and stuff. Demons, creatures, and some bloody evil fairies. lol. Umm, so yeah. I hope you enjoy it:) (With any luck it'll be IC. -snort-) **

**This first chapter is being posted because before I go any further, I would like to know if people will be interested. It will most likely be redone at a later date, though the plot itself won't be changed. Okay? **

**Don't be thrown by the beginning of the chapter, there's more description further on. **

**Rating: M (because of some very interesting tidbits that happen later on in the story. -grin- ain't I just a tease?)**

**Pairings: ZoLu SanNam SmoAce and maybe some other pairings later. Not sure yet. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or anything related to it. I just own this plot. **

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

**Prologue**

Moons rise. Moons fall. And the sun insists on following it. Wars begin. Wars end. It is the natural circle of the world. But when the circle is cracked, shattered, and wars rage for years with no end in sight, it is hard to believe in reality. In life. In good or evil. Yes, it is very difficult to believe in anything good when beasts roam the streets at night, with eyes like the devil and glittering teeth.

And their opposition. The monsters of the sky. Beasts that shed strange blood. They were beautiful, like the silver of the moon, and the gold of the sun had been harvested, and placed inside bodies of these beings, but they were pure devils. Sharp, pointed wings that were hard as steel, eyes as bright as emeralds. In comparison, the Vampires were considered kind, sweet and gentle creatures.

The war had raged since the fourteenth century. When Fairies had first laid beady eyes on the Vampires, and when the Vampires had first shown themselves. Innocents had been killed. Many had been slaughtered. The fairies needed their energy to survive, and heal themselves after particularly vicious fights with the Vampires. The Vampires needed no such energy, as they were endowed with their own healing ability. And now… no one was game to go out into the streets, for fear of being captured by a Fairy, or of being harassed by a particularly brutal vampire.

Mortals… lived in fear.

_**Chapter 1: It begins**_

**April 21st, 1967**

"No, no you can't!" a woman cried as she looked out from the safety of her home. The boy she was crying out to, turned and smiled at her with a dazzling grin.

"It's okay! It's not that late! And besides, I'm too skinny for them to worry about." and he hurried away into the darkness. The woman sighed and closed the door, shaking her head. The boy hummed merrily as he strode down the sidewalk, cool night air biting at his skin. He paused as a footstep echoed behind him. He blinked and turned around before tilting his head and smiling.

"Anyone there?" he asked. There was no reply. He turned back and yelped as someone grabbed a hold of him by his throat.

"Hey!" he cried as glinting eyes leant close to his, and hot breath puffed across the delicate skin of his neck. The hold on him wasn't tight, and it wasn't loose, but, he found he could not resist.

"Just stay still." a growling voice whispered near his ear.

"But… I know what you are! I don't wanna be like that!" and his voice trailed off into a pained groan as something pierced the skin of his neck. It was pain beyond pain, and it made his knees weak. There was no escape now. Maybe he should have listened earlier.

---

**February 5th, 2007**

"Damn moon, it's too damn high to be healthy." a voice said from beside him as they stood on the corner of an abandoned street, in the middle of the night.

"Oh shut up Sanji. You're making my ears hurt you shitty bastard." the other returned. Sanji frowned, blonde hair shining from the glow of a nearby street lamp.

"Fuck you Zoro. Stop being such a damn prick."

"I'm freezing my goddamn ass off! Why the hell are we out here anyway?"

"Because Nami wanted to meet us here, and you know very well that I won't let you disobey her."

"Bitch." Zoro muttered under his breath.

"There you are!" a female voice echoed through the still air and the two turned to see a red head walking towards them. She was perfect in every way. Beautifully built body, a delicate face with a touch of makeup, and a seductive smile that sent Sanji wild. Within seconds he was twittering around her, throwing out compliments faster than a machine gun could throw out bullets. Zoro rolled his eyes and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"So why did you want to meet us out here in the middle of the night?" Zoro asked, briefly glancing upwards as a cloud sailed over the moon. Nami smiled as she placed a hand on her hip.

"I actually wanted to see Sanji. You can fuck off." she growled. Zoro frowned. Nami didn't usually speak like that. He turned on his heel and stalked away, leaving the two to whatever it was she wanted him for. Zoro hated to think. He shivered as a particularly violent gust of wind blew through the alleyway.

"Why the hell did I choose this alley to walk down?" he muttered to himself. For one, it was creepy. Two, … it was creepy! But he would never admit that he thought it was creepy to… well, anyone really. Not even himself. Glancing to his right and he saw rats scurrying away.

"Hi there!" a happy voice cried and Zoro nearly jumped out of his skin. Spinning around, he spotted a boy crouched on a trash can beside him. The boy tilted his head and grinned. Zoro couldn't help but notice the sharper canine teeth. He frowned and hurried onwards.

"Hey!" the boy called as he jumped from the trash can and followed Zoro down the alley, "You know, a friend of mine said that it's impolite not to say hello when you're spoken to."

"I don't care. Go away." Zoro replied.

"Nawww. Come on! I just wanna talk!" and he trotted up beside Zoro, "Let's start with names! Mine's Monkey D Luffy! And you are?" Luffy waited a moment as he waited for Zoro to say something, and then pouted when he didn't.

"None of your business." Zoro finally replied and Luffy grinned.

"Well that's a strange name." and the boy chuckled to himself. Zoro stopped abruptly and turned to face Luffy.

"Listen, kid, why don't you go home where you belong?"

"I was home earlier today. I spent enough time there. Now, I wanna be out here! It's more fun! Besides, Nami won't let me stay in at night." and Zoro stopped.

"Nami? Do you know her?" and then Zoro shook his head, "You shouldn't listen to what other people say." and he continued towards his home on the edge of town. Luffy grinned.

"But Nami hurts when she hits! So, whatcha doin out here this late at night anyway?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Zoro replied blandly. Luffy chuckled.

"I already told you. I was at home all day sleeping!"

"Why were you sleeping during the day?"

"Cos, I have to. Not allowed to go outside in the day."

"Why?"

"Nami says I'm not allowed, and Usopp says there's things that will get me."

"There probably are."

"You think?"

"Why the hell are you annoying me!?"

"I'm not annoying you. I'm talking to you."

"Then find someone else to talk to. I'm going home to sleep." and Zoro turned another corner. This kid was a pain in his ass! And he hoped to rectify that soon.

"Sleep is overrated. Come on! I just wanna talk! I don't get anyone normal to talk to this late at night." Luffy whined. Zoro paused for a moment.

"Normal?" he asked. Luffy winced.

"Oops." he muttered before grinning, "Never mind. I just want to talk." and he pulled large, puppy dog eyes on Zoro. The man frowned and crossed his arms.

"Fine. We'll talk. Hi, goodbye. There's our talk." and Zoro turned and stormed off again. Luffy pouted before jumping and running after him.

"You're weird. But cool!" Luffy cried as he trotted beside his one sided 'friend'. Zoro sighed angrily, wishing his home wasn't on the other side of town.

"Listen, kid." and as Luffy grinned at him, Zoro couldn't help but notice those teeth again. Was it just him, or were they getting longer?

"I'm listening." Luffy replied. His skin seemed to be an interestingly pale white as well. With slightly over bright, and almost glowing eyes. And those eyes. They were… well there was no other description for it. Hypnotizing. Zoro frowned, shaking his head.

"I'm not interested in talking. I'm not interested in playing. I'm not interested in having anything to do with you." Zoro growled. Luffy pouted.

"But-"

"No. Don't care." and Zoro turned and walked away, leaving a rather dejected Luffy behind. It didn't take long for the boy to recover though, and soon he was taking chase of his quarry once again.

"You still haven't told me your name!" Luffy cried as he caught up. Zoro turned around and full on punched Luffy in the face, sending the kid backwards.

"For god's sake! Leave me the hell alone!" and Zoro hurried away again. Luffy sat on the ground, rubbing at his chin with a delicate hand. A small trickle of blood escaped from the side of Luffy's mouth, and joined the already dribble of blood that had tracked from the boy's nostril.

His eyes automatically tracked the dark liquid, canine teeth elongating to a thin, needle sharp point and his eyes beginning to glow a deep brown. Shuddering, Luffy forced his eyes shut. No, he was hungry… but not that hungry. He would sooner run into a wall than drink human, or his own, blood.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked nearby. Luffy twisted slightly to see Nami walking towards him, her eyes glowing a light orangey brown, and her teeth pointed and sharp, as she led that blonde man who had used to be her friend, after her. Luffy grinned and got up, wiping the blood away with the back of his hand.

"Nothing. Just talking to someone." he replied, brushing off the seat of his pants. Nami smirked and glanced over her shoulder.

"We've got a new one."

"Oooh. You think he can help?"

"I certainly hope so. I had to kiss the dolt before he would shut up and listen to me. Did you pick anyone you want to help yet?"

"Ahh…" and he looked in the direction Zoro had gone, "Just some guy. He wouldn't tell me his name, and my hypo- hyponitizing… wouldn't work on him." Luffy replied, grinning despite his mistake. Actually, it was quite possible that the boy's mistake wasn't even clear to _him. _Nami sighed and shook her head.

"Come on. We'd best keep going. We need to convert him before the sun comes up." Nami said, jerking her head towards the blonde. Luffy grinned.

"Okay!" he was lucky. Nami wouldn't make him eat tonight. He hated it when Nami made him eat. It was one of the most… disgusting feelings he had ever experienced. And it brought out an instinct in Vampires that Luffy had seen first hand, and he really didn't want to become like that. It was bad enough when he fought. When he chased. When he used his special ability. He became an animal then.

A beast.

Tearing, ripping, shredding and unable to be recaptured. And lost. Whenever Luffy became that monster… he felt lost. Like he was loosing a small part of himself every time that happened to him, and in a way, he supposed he was. After all, he had seen some of the older vampires. The ones that had been around since Roman times, and they were savages. No more than beasts with a lust for blood, and a power that had been honed and encouraged to grow over the years.

Decades.

Centuries.

"Come on." Nami snapped. Luffy blinked, grinned and ran after her. His life wasn't so bad. He was mostly around younger vampires. Only a century or so old. Luffy was among the youngest of them all. He was only four decades old. Though he still retained the look of a seventeen year old boy, as most vampires tended to keep their ages. Some let themselves age a little. Some even liked to let themselves age a lot. It all depended on how you wanted to look.

Then there were the elders. The oldest vampires of them all. Ones that no longer needed blood to sustain their lust, but were satiated with feeding off of energy through meditation. Every now and again, they would go out and have a feast of real blood. The blood they craved, but it wasn't essential to them. It wasn't vital.

Luffy's favourite elder was a one armed, red haired man of around his late twenties, by the name of Shanks. He always wore the garb of a pirate with a black cloak, for the era in which he had been bitten, had been during the time of Pirates. Shanks was one of Luffy's most valued, and prized friends. Shanks had been the one who had looked after Luffy after he had been converted. When Luffy didn't know what to do, where to go and why the sun burned him like it did.

The second elder, was a mysterious, and yet absolutely caring woman by the name of Nico Robin. She was as beautiful as she was deadly. For she was not one of the ordinary vampires. She was of one of the rarest strands of vampires to be found. The S clan. A cross of vampire, and devil's curse. She now had the ability to create a replica of any part of her body, where ever she wished. And the clones of body parts, were endless. Robin had nicknamed her power, the Hana Hana. Devil's curse and S clan, were outcasts usually, but, in the matter of these vampires, this strand of vampire blood, belonged to her, and four others.

So, it had been accepted.

The third elder, also had a mix of this blood, surging through his veins. He was a surly, grouchy, grumpy man who always had to follow the rules. He was a tight ass in other words. Taller than the other two, not to mention broader, he had an air of authority about him. But Luffy hardly ever had dealings with Smoker, he was always busy. That elder had the power to dissolve into smoke at will. This power proved to be effective against almost anything that came his direction.

The fourth, and last elder, was someone Luffy tried to avoid entirely. His sire. Kladhadore C Kuro. He didn't have a strand of the rare blood, and the ones with the power of the crossed curse, were treated like dirt by him. Standing in the shadows, was often his method of introduction, and a flash of his blades, would be most likely the only thing you would see before you were dead in his arms. More vicious, and bloodthirsty than the other three Elders, Kuro had a knack for sneaking out without the other's knowledge, and then gorging himself on human blood. He was a monster… in disguise.

To meet him, he was kind, polite, a little strict but well mannered. Clean cut, and smart. Luffy despised him. Despised the way Kuro tried to make Luffy like him, and if Luffy didn't eat the blood that was given to him by Kuro, then he would be locked in the Room of despair. A room where the sunlight filtered through thin holes in the wall, and the vampire entrapped would be burned, scorched on his arms, legs, or face every time he moved. So, you had to sit there. Still as a statue until the sun went down. It was Kuro's idea for the room of despair, and despite Robin, Shanks and even Smoker's protests, it had been built.

Luffy shuddered as he remembered his time in there last year. Kuro had thrown him in, and conveniently forgotten to give Shanks the key to let Luffy out that night. The boy had spent three days in there without anything. Food, water. Shanks had finally broken down the door and taken him out. The room of despair had become a punishment for only those who had committed horrible crimes.

From then on, Kuro had tried his hardest to make Luffy's life, or afterlife as the case may be, a nightmare. Shanks and Robin saw this, but there was nothing they could do. Smoker was one of the ones who would alert Robin and Shanks to Luffy's peril too, so that made Smoker okay in the youngest vampire's books.

"Come **on, **Luffy." Nami growled, holding open the trap door that led down into their home. Luffy blinked before grinning.

"Thanks Nami!" he cried and bounded over, jumping through the hole easily and landing on his feet. The blonde man jumped down beside them, a permanent goofy smile attached to his face, and his eyes dull.

"Wow Nami. You're getting good at that." Luffy commented, waving a hand in front of the blonde's face. Nami smirked.

"Of course I am." She replied with a quick wink, "I've been doing it for eight decades. I'd hope I was getting good." and she continued down the dark tunnel that led to the underground workings of their lair. Luffy sighed. At least none of those fairies had appeared tonight. Too afraid after their last fight with him. Luffy smirked at the thought before trotting after Nami and her prize.

---

It didn't really occur to Zoro, until he had gotten back to his home, locked the door and then gone to bed, that the boy, Luffy… was it? Might possibly have been a vampire. The very thought seemed preposterous. For a skinny, unco-ordinated and easily hurt boy like that to be a vampire… well, the very thought was ludicrous. Zoro rolled over in his bed, staring out the window as the black night sky lightened to a dark purple, and then to a light pink.

Those teeth.

Those eyes.

And the sort of… lingering darkness Zoro had either seen, or imagined, surrounding the boy. Zoro turned back over, giving his pillow a good hard punch to try and soften it so he could sleep. Unfortunately for Zoro… he punched it too hard and feathers went everywhere. Growling under his breath, Zoro got out of the bed and stalked across the room to the cupboard, muttering something about 'weak pillows,' and 'third time this week'.

Opening the cupboard, he pulled out another pillow and then slammed the door, stalking back to his bed again. This time, he chose to mutter about 'shitty cheese heads' and 'idiot kids with vampire teeth'. Zoro really wasn't a happy bunny this time of the morning. Throwing himself back into the bed, and burying his face in the pillow, Zoro tried to let himself drift off to sleep. He turned slightly so he wouldn't breathe in the stuffy smell of the pillow, Zoro frowned with his eyes closed.

"Che, vampire. Yeah right." he muttered. Somewhere a rooster crowed. Zoro ignored it, but, the rooster continued crowing.

"Shut up." Zoro groaned, pulling the pillow over his head and yawning deeply. He was tired, more so than usual, and that damn rooster was going to get a shoe in it's throat before long. The rooster decided fifteen crows was enough, and jumped down off of whatever pedestal it had been standing on to strut amongst the hens. Zoro sighed as silence reigned through his home, broken only by the sound of the refrigerator turning on and humming as it cooled itself down.

A clock was ticking.

Boards were squeaking.

And birds were singing. Zoro growled loudly and sat up. Why the hell wasn't he allowed to sleep!? He blinked wearily and yawned again, standing and moving towards the door that led out of his room and into the corridor. That kid really had been strange though. And all that stuff about not being allowed out in the day. What the hell had that been? Outside, a fairy flashed past the window, a large red, blood stained sword in it's hand.

Zoro paused and watched it warily. Those things had frightened the hell out of him more than a few times. They had also tried to steal his swords on a few occasions. Zoro had kicked their little sparkly butts for that. No way in hell were some little 'pretty people' going to steal his swords. Zoro glanced over to where the three sheathed weapons were on display on the wall.

His lips twisted before he moved over and grabbed them, not trusting those little fairy mongrels any further than he could throw them. Which… mind you, probably wasn't the best terminology as Zoro could probably throw them a fair way. Yawning, stretching, and yawning some more, Zoro made his way into the kitchen to see if he could find some sort of drink or food that could potentially help him get to sleep.

Milk was out, as he refused to heat milk up like a little child and cold milk this early in the morning would only serve to wake him up even more, and coffee was a definite no-no, but, all Zoro seemed to have was coffee. So… the green haired man made himself a cup, sauntered into the lounge room and sat down, flicking on the TV. Some random, live news show came on, yelping about how the Vampires were attacking their station as they spoke. Zoro snorted.

"Idiots. Vampires don't attack during the day." he muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. Now the show was yelping about how people should be learning how to protect themselves. Ha! How? Zoro only barely managed to make it out of the last confrontation he had had with the fairies, and that was only because a Vampire saw the fairies and decided he wanted to take them on.

The Vampire then ran away screaming like a girl as the Fairies chased after him, chattering angrily and squeaking in those high pitched, almost sonar ranged, voices. Zoro sighed and set the cup down on the table in front of him. He changed the channel again, flicking it over to a kid's program about dancing dogs and skipping cats.

Actually… it wasn't that bad. Zoro flicked the channel as fast as he could, the song of the dogs and cats already beginning to get stuck in his head. Okay, so it was that bad. Yawning, Zoro let himself slide back into the chair, his eyelids drooping and finally closing as he drifted off to sleep. Who was the idiot who said coffee wouldn't let you sleep?

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**Okay, what did you think of this? This was more an explaining chapter, and don't be fooled by the shortness, as it will get longer as it goes along. But, please tell me what you think because... well, this is the first time I have written a vampire story... at all. My original ones don't have Vampires in them as such, but they will soon! Hopefully. And I wanna know how I am doing so far. **

**Readers: You're babbling... again!**

**Plushie:P**


	2. Eyes

**Wow! Thankyou so much for all those reviews last chapter! well, apparently people are liking the vampirey goodness. Cool! Well, here's the next chapter! It may be modified at a later date (like the first one) but the general structure won't be changed. -nods- Thankyou!**

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 2: Eyes**_

Kuro's eyes snapped open as he heard that little brat's voice coming down the hallway.

"What's his name Nami?" Luffy called. Kuro frowned. How he hated that child. Ever since the little brat had lived through one of his bites. Damn that Shanks. If he hadn't intervened, Luffy would be no more than a pile of bones and dust. Gritting his teeth, Kuro rose from his bed and moved towards his desk in the corner.

"Sanji, Luffy." and then there was a knock on his door. Kuro's lips rose in a small snarl.

"Come in." He replied. Nami poked her head in the room, and spotting Kuro in the corner, she tilted her head.

"Excuse me Elder Kuro, but, have you seen Elder Robin?" Nami asked. Kuro turned to her.

"She is no concern of mine, child." he replied. Nami frowned before putting on a sarcastic smile.

"Thankyou for your time sir." she commented and closed the door with a snap. Kuro frowned some more and then looked outside.

The sun was rising.

Quickly pulling his blinds down, Kuro sighed and leaned on his desk again before smiling cruelly, tiny white pointed tips protruding over his bottom lip as a dark, almost blood red glow came to his eyes. Tomorrow night he would have another feast. He really couldn't wait to taste the coppery scent of blood, the warmness of it, and the utter power he had over the person he was drinking from. It would be another glorious night.

---

Luffy trotted after Nami, turning every so often to make sure the hypnotized Sanji was still following.

"Why don't we convert him?" Luffy inquired. Nami smirked.

"And have it go horribly wrong? I don't think so." she replied. Luffy pouted.

"But… how do we know it would go wrong? I mean, the Elders are vampires just like us."

"Luffy, I've explained this to you a million times now. You can't just suck their blood, they need to have energy put back into their veins so they can live like us."

"Mweh…" Luffy whined, not understanding.

"Oh Luffy." Nami barked harshly, "The energy we use is unique. Once enough blood has been taken, it needs to be replaced, and so, the Elders replace it with the energy. You, of all people, should know how this all works."

"Yeah… I don't remember much about that. I just remember waking up and seeing Shanks. Nothing before that."

"Hmm." Nami hummed, avoiding a subject that she really didn't wish to discuss with Luffy. Actually, she knew very well that Luffy knew who had bitten him in the first place, and Luffy remembered a lot more than he let on. But it was a sore subject with the boy, and she didn't like reopening old wounds. Suddenly, Sanji stopped in place, blinking rapidly and then looking around the hall in confusion.

"AH!" Luffy cried and pointed at Sanji. Nami turned around and hissed angrily.

"Damnit." she muttered before stepping up to Sanji and gently taking the side of his head, directing his eyes down towards her.

"Nami-san?" he asked.

"Shhh." Nami replied, staring into Sanji's eyes. Luffy watched in interest. The blonde man blinked rapidly for a few minutes before his face became overtaken by a goofy smile and his eyes became dull and lifeless. Luffy chuckled.

"It's always funny when they fall asleep like that." Luffy commented, putting his hands on his hips. Nami turned and winked at Luffy.

"Absolutely." she replied.

"Luffy!" another male voice cried. Luffy turned as Nami led Sanji away again.

"Usopp!" Luffy replied, grinning widely and spreading his arms wide. Usopp was one of the very few young vampires who were allowed to stay home at night. All the others were sent out to recruit, fight, or gather intelligence. Usopp was an inventor though.

Making special guns, special armour, special anything to fight against the Fairies with, was Usopp's job. And the long nosed boy didn't mean to brag, but, he was damn good at it. The two youngest vampires met in the middle of the corridor and grinned at each other.

"How did everything go tonight? Did you find someone you wanted to recruit?" Usopp asked interestedly. Luffy looked behind him and then beckoned Usopp to his room. When they were in the dark room, Luffy flicked on a light and grinned at Usopp.

"No. Not a recruit, but a friend." he replied. Usopp sighed.

"Luffy, remember what happe-"

"Yeah yeah, I know. But I won't let that happen this time. Kuro's such a bastard." and Luffy growled under his breath for a minute before grinning again.

"So… what's his name, or her, or… whatever?" Usopp asked.

"It's a he, and I don't know his name. But, he had green hair, so, he's the 'Green haired dude'!" and the boy grinned. Usopp raised an eyebrow.

"Green… haired… dude? That's worse than the name you gave me." Usopp muttered. Luffy tilted his head.

"Long nose curly hair?"

"Yeah." and Usopp looked around the room before yawning, "I'm gonna go to bed. See you tonight Luffy." and the long nose walked out of the room, leaving Luffy to grin to himself about his newly made… well, soon to be newly made friend. Yawning as well, Luffy made for his own bed. The sun was obviously up, and the sun served as a sedation for most vampires. Especially the young ones.

The Elders were able to stay awake day and night with merely an hour of meditation. Luffy envied them sometimes, but he also wanted to be like them. Especially Shanks. Lying down on his bed, and wrapping a large blanket around him, Luffy reached up and flicked a hand. He wasn't supposed to use those powers as of yet, until he was trained, but at least the light switch did as it was told, and flicked off. Smiling happily to himself, the young vampire drifted into a peaceful sleep.

---

Zoro grunted as he was awoken by a soft tinkling. Blinking wearily, he looked around, raising one hand to rub at his eyes.

"The hell?" he muttered upon seeing his front door was open. Standing and reaching down by his side, Zoro felt the hard handle of his sword knock against his knuckle. So they were still there. Moving quietly towards the door, Zoro peered outside into the blinding sunlight before looking back in.

Another tinkling was heard, followed by a loud crash that made Zoro frown. Whatever it was, was in the kitchen, and because it was day time, it was either a Fairy, or a burglar. And judging by the softly shimmering light coming from the door, it wasn't an average human.

"Hey!" Zoro barked, jumping into the doorway with two of his swords out and ready. At least ten Fairies look back at him, emerald eyes glinting. Zoro blinked. Okay, so he hadn't expected there to be ten of the little blood lusting creatures. They glared at him.

"Human." the largest said, his wings covered in diamonds and speckled with rubies. He was the captain of the squad in other words. The Fairies were the size of an average human, but could shrink down to the size of a bug. It was frightening when you were chasing them, and they disappeared before appearing again behind you.

Really frightening. Zoro frowned, taking one step back. Two of the front Fairies were sporting bows and arrows, while another two had a dagger in either hand. The other five were sporting long swords that were crusted with blood.

"Attack!" the leader ordered, pointing a long, red finger at Zoro. The swordsman turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, bolting out of his door and down the street. Some people had ventured out in the day, because the fighting didn't happen as often due to the fact that Vampires were incapable of living in the sun. The few mortals who were standing on the street, jumped out of Zoro's way as he ran. One fairy he could handle, two was easy.

Three was a little harder, but it was fun. Four was becoming hard, and ten was just plain ridiculous. Those little bastards were tough. Especially with their steel-like wings. Looking ahead, Zoro saw a large stick coming up near him. Heading towards it, he flicked a foot and caught the stick between his teeth. Jumping up and twisting in mid-air, he dropped the stick and then kicked it at one of the Fairies before continuing. There was a dull thunk and Zoro silently cursed. The stick had hit those hard wings and rebounded.

"Faster!" a squeak sounded and the hum of wings flapping at a hundred miles an hour, filled the air.

"Shit!" Zoro yelled, turning a corner and racing down an alleyway. Glancing on either side, he saw brick walls and grinned devilishly.

"This should stump you little bastards." he muttered before stretching out both arms and letting the swords slide through the brick walls. Bricks, mortar and dust went everywhere. Small squeaks could be heard behind him and Zoro smiled as he turned another corner. But, the wayward swordsman was brought up short as he saw a dead end ahead.

"…fuck." he muttered. He really didn't know his way around here. Two Fairies buzzed their way into the alley, and then smiled sharp toothed grins when they saw him.

"Alone. Human alone." one said. The other nodded before licking his lips and turning back to Zoro, who frowned and reached up to his arm, pulling a dark, almost black bandana from his bicep and tying it around his head.

"You're messing with the wrong human you little flying bastards." he muttered, taking out his third sword and placing the handle between his teeth. The Fairies didn't take any notice of his comment. The Fairies flew towards him, almost vanishing at the speed they were going. Zoro spun low and crossed his two swords over his chest, before stopping and flinging them out. One squeak and a dull thunk was heard.

Zoro glanced to his right and saw a Fairy laying on the ground, split in two and bleeding green. He didn't have time to comment about the disgusting, in human colour of the Fairy's blood, before the other Fairy was swinging a cutlass at him. Jumping backwards, he brought one of his swords up, the other down, creating a scissor affect that served to slice both wings from the Fairy's shoulders. It fell to the ground and writhed before beginning to crawl away.

"Oh no you don't. Last time I let one of you go, five of your little mates returned." Zoro growled before standing over it and finishing the nasty creature off. He sighed and glanced at his watch, before pulling the bandana from his head. It was half past three.

"Slept all damn day." he muttered. Sanji would be pissed. The two of them started work at the local restaurant at one.

"Dang, what a pity." Zoro muttered sarcastically. He was probably going to be fired and he would probably face the wrath of Sanji when he next saw him but, meh, that really didn't worry him right now. Adrenaline was rushing through his veins, and it was making his usually bad attitude, even worse. Climbing easily over the bricks, he jumped up and down on them three times before jumping down and giving the bricks the finger.

"Little bastards." he muttered as he exited the alleyway. Looking around, Zoro realized something that could potentially make his afternoon, very frustrating. He was lost. Frightened humans glanced at him from barred, and curtained windows. Dogs cringed outside the locked doors. Cats strolled the rooftops, but hid at any sign of movement. Zoro walked along, one hand on his hip right near his swords so he could whip them out at any moment.

The centre of the road was cratered and ripped in places from recent skirmishes between the Fairies and Vampires. Zoro frowned. He hated seeing the world like this. Normally, he wouldn't give a damn, but right now, these Fairy invasions were becoming more and more frequent.

And it was getting on his nerves. Dried blood splatters were on the sidewalk, trees were stripped of their leaves and bark, and the grass was turning a sickly yellow. A little girl ran out into the street, only to have her father run out after her and then cart her back inside. Yes, this world had truly gone to hell.

"Damnit!" Zoro yelled as he looked around the park he had thought he had just left. The sun was setting, and a small sliver of a bright orange, full moon could be seen just over the horizon. Vampires would soon be patrolling the streets, and Fairies would be looking to fight. And if Zoro continued the way he was going, he would be caught right in the middle. He groaned and sat down on a park bench, rubbing furiously at his tired eyes. He wanted sleep! God how he wanted sleep. The last of the sun disappeared, and Zoro heard the first terrifying noise of the night.

A scream.

High pitched and terrified. Zoro jumped from the seat and whirled around, eyes searching the slowly darkening space behind him. There. He could just see two shapes grappling in the dark. And then two eyes… amber like a cat's, looked right at him. Zoro turned away for second, before his gaze was forced to return. Such was the power of a vampire. He began to approach, dragging the unfortunate person behind him. Finally seeing what it was, Zoro shuddered.

A girl, barely older than sixteen, had had her neck ravaged and she was now dead. What had she been doing out here this late at night anyway? Silly girl. Zoro silently cursed the being who was now standing in front of him. He would have run, would have fought, would have done something, but, there was one little problem with that. Zoro could not move. Not one part of his body. His lungs seemed to have seized up, and his heart seemed to have stopped beating.

Vague, tiny shakes shivered down his spine and along his arms and legs as he stared at those two glowing eyes before him. There was nothing he could do to stop the face that leant close to his, fangs dripping with the already spilt blood of the woman behind him. Is this how he was going to die? After years of fighting to stay alive, of barely escaping Fairies, and of defeating idiotic vampires who had no idea what they were doing, or who they were up against. Zoro's face paled as he felt warm blood drip from the creature's fangs and onto his neck, sliding down to his shoulder before there were twin, sharp points penetrating his skin.

"HEY!" a voice cried. Zoro's lips had begun to turn blue from the fear of not being able to move. The fear of dying. But suddenly, the creature was ripped off of him and thrown to the ground. The boy. The one who had annoyed him last time he had come out at night, was standing over the man, his body wracked by heaving breaths.

"Kuro…" Luffy snarled. The creature lying on the ground, ran the back of a hand across his lips, removing the last traces of blood.

"Luffy…" Kuro replied as he stood, and began dusting off his good jacket. Luffy glared at Kuro, and Zoro watched in alarm, still petrified. His neck ached, in fact, his whole body ached. Cracking his neck slightly, the older man looked down on Luffy with harsh eyes.

"Child, you are a pain. A thorn in my side. A prickle in my finger and if you do not step aside and let me convert this man, then I am going to have to kill you." It was plainly obvious that Kuro was lying, and that his true intention was to simply suck all the blood from the poor man and leave him dead, without a conversion. Luffy glanced over his shoulder at Zoro before turning back to Kuro.

"You are not supposed to convert without Elder Shanks' consent." Luffy replied. Kuro frowned.

"What makes you think he has the right to tell _me _what to do? I am Klahadore C Kuro, Vampire Elder, and a puny little whining wimp like him, or you, will not be able to defeat me."

"Back. Down, Kuro." Luffy growled, getting ready to defend in case Kuro attacked. And it was lucky Luffy did, for barely a second after the young vampire had finished his sentence, Kuro lunged at him. Swiping with bladed hands, and lashing out with a harsh kick. Luffy dodged the kick, but the blades on the Elder's hands slashed a large and deep criss-cross pattern on Luffy's front. His shirt fell open, torn to pieces. Wincing, Luffy grabbed at his stomach before frowning further.

"I'd like to stay here and kill you, but, I have some pressing matters to attend to before the sun rises. But know this child… if you so much as utter one word about what happened here tonight, you won't live to see another moon rise." Kuro threatened. Luffy frowned.

"Doesn't matter. My life isn't that great to me." he replied softly.

"Fine. Then I'll kill that green haired human. Hunt him down and rip him into so many pieces, that not even his dental records will help the police identify him." Kuro threatened. Luffy frowned but finally sighed.

"…fine." and smirking, Kuro left. When the older male was out of sight, Luffy groaned and gripped his stomach. Kuro had really hurt him this time, but, that wasn't his concern right now. Turning, he spotted Zoro sitting on the ground, his jaw slack and a hand on his neck.

"Green haired dude!" Luffy cried and hurried over to him, kneeling down beside Zoro. The man turned to him shakily.

"Wha- who- how did he do that?" Zoro stuttered, his face pale. Luffy tilted his head.

"Shit." he muttered before taking Zoro's shoulders and lifting him to his feet, "You need a drink of water or something. Umm…" and Luffy looked around. Spotting a water fountain nearby, he hurried Zoro over to it. Gently pushing Zoro near the tap, he pressed the button. Some of the water went into Zoro's mouth, but the rest of it went all over the man's face and clothes. 'Green haired dude', sputtered and began to shake violently.

"Damn. Where's Nami!?" Luffy panicked as he gently made Zoro lay down on the ground. After effects of being hypnotized as strongly as Zoro had been. Usually, Vampires would send their victim/target, into a deep trance where they couldn't see anything. But Luffy knew Kuro, and if what he was thinking was right, then this was a hypnotisation beyond that.

One where the target could see, hear and feel everything, but every nerve in their body was frozen rock solid and they couldn't move. Luffy watched over Zoro, and finally after five minutes of shaking that made Luffy worry badly, 'green haired dude' began to come around again. His shaking began to slow to small shivers, while his eyes were able to focus on Luffy's face. Zoro's hands lifted in front of his face as he sat up.

"What happened to me?" he asked.

"You were hypnotisded." Luffy replied, so happy and relieved to see Zoro was going to be okay that he didn't notice his mistake. Standing, Luffy grinned down at his newly titled 'friend'.

"Come on. Get up." Luffy instructed. Zoro moved himself along the ground, getting his feet underneath him shakily as he moved to stand. Finally, he was on his feet and staring at Luffy, the shaking dying down completely and replaced instead with curiosity.

"Why did you help me?" Zoro asked angrily, "I didn't ask for your help."

"You needed it."

"Doesn't matter!" Zoro barked. He was scared, and being scared had made him angry. Scared was a feeling he generally tried to avoid. Luffy blinked and frowned.

"Fine. Next time, I'll let him suck you dry!" Luffy growled in return and turned away. Zoro frowned and crossed his arms, before gritting his teeth.

"Roronoa Zoro." he muttered. Luffy paused and turned back again.

"What?"

"My name. You asked me my name yesterday. Roronoa Zoro."

"Ha!" and Luffy ran back, "Mon-"

"Monkey D Luffy. Yeah, I remember." Zoro grouched, crossing his arms and then wincing as his neck suddenly throbbed harshly. He moved over to a swingset and sat down, Luffy trailing after him.

"So… you're a vampire. Aren't you?" Zoro asked, holding a hand to his neck as he sat down on the wooden plank and wound his free arm around the chain. Luffy blinked at him from where he was standing in the middle of the see-saw, balancing it carefully.

"Na Zoro. Of course. Thought that was obvious." and Luffy giggled as he slid down the see-saw and jumped onto the ground after it. He grinned, baring his sharp teeth and then laughing loudly and holding his tattered straw hat to his head.

"Yeah… just checking." Zoro muttered to himself. Luffy grinned some more and in a single graceful leap, was standing on the bar above Zoro's head. He put his arms out on either side of him and began walking the thin pole. Zoro blinked up at him.

"That's… kind of cool." he muttered. Luffy suddenly hung upside down, his nose coming to within inches of Zoro's own. The green haired man yelped and toppled backwards off of the swing, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Luffy blinked and jumped down, grabbing his hat and laughing loudly again.

"Well that was silly, wasn't it." Luffy commented. Zoro glared and he noticed the blood running down Luffy's legs, and arms and the large bare patches of his shirt.

"You're bleeding." Zoro commented as he got up. Luffy looked down at himself.

"Oh. Well. That's okay. I'll be okay." the boy replied. Zoro frowned.

"No you won't. Loosing that much blood isn't healthy. Trust me… I know." and Zoro moved over to Luffy and inspected the wounds. The boy suddenly swayed.

"Whoa… ha ha, guess I did lose a lot more blood than I thought." and without another word, he fell forward. Zoro, surprised by the sudden faint, only just caught the boy before he hit the ground.

"Shit." Zoro muttered. What if this kid died? Luffy had rescued him, and now he was going to die. He couldn't let that happen. But… did Vampire's die? Well, if they bled he guessed they must. Zoro had no idea where this kid's home was, so… it looked like he was taking him home.

"Damnit. I always get the bad luck." he muttered before hurrying in the direction he hoped was his house.

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**Ok, with any luck these chapters will get longer each time. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chappie. Aren't my Fairy creations absolutely incredible? -hugs them and then gets bitten- owie...**


	3. Survival and secrets

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 3: Survival and Secrets**_

Well if this wasn't the strangest thing that Zoro had ever encountered. A vampire boy, lying on the couch in front of him, bleeding over the floral seat covers. Not that he liked the floral decorations, but, they had been the only ones that had fit his couch. He frowned, eyes set upon the small, thin chest breathing slowly in and out in front of him. Didn't Vampires not have to breathe?

Zoro sighed and leaned back into the kitchen chair. This kid was so weird. Strange. Not threatening at all like all the other vampires, and not very… well, dangerous looking at all. His face was slightly pale, but other than that, you would mistake him for a normal human being. Wouldn't look twice at the kid. Luffy made a weak sound and his eyes fluttered open, before coming to rest on Zoro.

"Ha!" and he sat up and looked around, "Hiya Zoro!" and he grinned. Zoro raised an eyebrow. 

"Hi yourself." and then Zoro went on the offensive, as per usual, "The hell you doing scaring the shit outta me like that!?" Luffy blinked, not expecting that.

"Huh? What'd I do?"

"You fainted!" Zoro growled and crossed his arms, slinging one leg over the other and letting his toe tap impatiently. Luffy tilted his head.

"Did I?" and he laughed before grinning sheepishly, "Guess I forgot." Zoro sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He let his anger dissapate and then raised an eyebrow at the kid.

"Are you okay?" he muttered, sounding almost like he was feeling shy while asking the question. Luffy grinned widely.

"I feel fine!" he replied. Zoro raised an eyebrow, "Oh, what time is it? Nami said I'm supposed to be home by three in the morning." and he twitched nervously. Zoro blinked and glanced at the window which was shaded by some heavy blankets. The swordsman knew enough about Vampires to know that they burned in the sun. And quite often died.

"Umm… it's seven." he replied. Luffy blinked a minute before yelling and grabbing at his head and muttering wildly to himself.

"Nami's going to kill me! Shanks is going to kill me!"

"Umm…" and Zoro waved a hand in the air signalling for Luffy to stop, "Aren't you already dead?" Luffy stopped then and there and turned to him with an expressionless face… before grinning like the fool he was.

"Yeah! But, Vampires can die again. It's not uncommon. We bleed to death." and he nodded, hair going everywhere as he did so. Zoro raised an eyebrow before standing.

"Well, if you don't sit still, you're going to bleed to death now." and he walked out into the kitchen.

"Bleed?" and he looked down to see the scratches Kuro had made, "Na Zoro!" and he jumped off the couch, hurrying after the older man… or, younger. Seeing as Luffy was at least 40 by human years. That was beside the point though! When he found the swordsman again, Zoro was pulling out a few bandages from a small first aid kit. Luffy blinked as he wandered over.

"What're those for?" he asked. Zoro raised an eyebrow at him.

"You." 

"Oh. Will they hurt?"

"Haven't you ever been bandaged before?"

"Ummm…" and Luffy had to think for a second before a small look of confusion passed across his face before he shook his head, "Can't remember." he muttered. Zoro sighed.

"No, it won't hurt. Now go and sit down." and he went back to looking through the contents of the kit. Luffy didn't leave though. He just stood there, watching interestedly as Zoro pulled various things out of the kit and placed them on the counter beside him. Luffy picked interestedly at a small syringe before spotting the needle and hissing suddenly.

Memories flashed through his mind and he took off, running back out into the lounge room and jumping behind the couch. Zoro blinked at the syringe before grabbing the kit (sans the syringe) and moving after the boy. He paused as he heard Luffy breathing in low hisses from behind the couch.

"Ah… Luffy? You okay?" Zoro asked as he peeked over the edge. Luffy blinked up at him, his teeth long and his eyes wide and glowing. If the light from the bulb above him, hadn't of been shining right on Luffy's face, the boy would have looked positively terrifying… but Zoro didn't think that Luffy was dangerous in any way. He didn't seem to have any thoughts about touching his neck. No thoughts of drinking his blood. Or at least, he hoped Luffy didn't. Backing away just a little, he sighed.

"Look, I don't know why you don't like the needle, but, I assure you I'm not going to use it in any shape or form. Ok?" and this served to calm Luffy at least a little. The boy stood from behind the chair, his teeth returning to their original length and his eyes turning back to normal.

"What was that about?" Zoro asked. Luffy blinked at him before grinning.

"What?" 

"That. The whole…" and he made a short hissing noise. Luffy paused and his face fell slightly.

"Just… something I've been made to do a few times. You see Zoro," and he smiled brightly, "I'm not like other Vampires. I don't like blood. I don't like the thought of drinking blood. And I certainly don't like actually doing it." and he sighed a little sadly, "So, because a Vampire can't survive without having _some _sort of blood, I was often made to have injections of it." and Luffy turned away, rubbing his arm before grinning brightly.

"But, it's okay now! I don't have to do any of that anymore! All I have to do, is eat raw meat once every few days, and I'm okay!" Zoro blinked. That didn't sound like… something he would do. But then, he wasn't in Luffy's situation. Moving Luffy around and making him sit on the chair, Zoro began working at Luffy's wounds. First cleaning them with a warm, wet cloth and then wrapping the bandages around. Luffy watched him the whole time.

"Hey, Luffy. Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah!"

"Why is it that Vampire's need blood to survive?"

"Umm… I'm not really sure. Elder Shanks said it's because of the fact that we're dead. And to continue moving like we do, and living like we do, we need blood in our veins. Or something. Cos, our heart stops working and stops pumping blood through, so we need some sort of life sus- sutsen- grr, sustenance." and he grinned proudly. Zoro blinked. So that… that actually made sense. Finishing Luffy's bandages with a short flourish, he sighed.

"So… what do you do during the day?" he asked, "Usually. I mean, you can't go out, can you?"

"No. We sleep! But… for some reason, I can't sleep here." and he looked around.

"Umm, do you… do you sleep upside down or something?" Zoro asked, smiling a little sheepishly. Luffy blinked back at him before laughing loudly.

"I'm not a bat Zoro! I sleep lying down!" and he laughed some more before blinking tiredly and trying to stifle a yawn. Zoro raised an eyebrow. Luffy grinned.

"Because of our low tolerance of the sun, young vampires have to sleep during the day." he explained. Zoro nodded. So that explained it. Wait… young vampires? Did that mean there were old ones too? Had to be. And wasn't the legend that vampires could live forever? Or at least until they were really really old. Luffy began to slide sideways, his eyes hazy.

"Luffy, how old are you?" Zoro asked. Luffy sat up again, and shook his head before pausing. A long silence rang through the room, while Luffy's face slowly became more and more thoughtful.

"I…" he began, "Well… I've been a vampire for forty years you see. And… when you become a vampire, you don't remember much about your human life." and he grinned. Zoro blinked. Well… that sort of made sense too. If you died and then had an afterlife, you wouldn't really want to remember the reason you died, and then everything else gets erased with that.

"I do remember… my Dad was really rich. And I had a… brother. Yeah! I had a brother!" and Luffy grinned at him excitedly. Zoro, despite his attitude and impassive face, really began to feel sorry for this kid. Not allowed to go out in the day, when Luffy seemed to like the sun more than the moon. Couldn't remember his own family. Forty years as a vampire.

And the kid only looked… what? Seventeen maybe. Yeah, that'd be about right. Sighing, he turned back to find Luffy fast asleep, his head lolling forward and dark hair falling over his face. Zoro shook his head and gently pushed Luffy sideways so he fell onto the soft couch.

"You really are weird, you know that?" Zoro muttered before moving towards his office. A computer was always handy. If he could work the damn thing.

---

"What? Where am I?" Sanji muttered vaguely as he looked around. The place was dark. As dark as… well, a cellar. A basement. A tomb. Oh god. Was he dead!? His breathing began to pick up, small wisps of vapour coming from his mouth with each short pant. This place scared him, and he didn't know why. He wasn't easily scared by nature, in fact, he prided himself on being pretty damn fear less actually, but right now. This dark. This cold. Then something loomed in front of him. He knew that face.

"You don't need to breathe." a soft voice said, caressing his ears and making him feel drowsy. That voice… so musical. So wonderful. A spell. But wait… why not breathe? He needed to breathe to live.

"You need not do anything to live anymore because you are not alive." another voice said. This one was female as well, but it was deeper, older and more… mysterious he supposed. Sanji was becoming so afraid it wasn't funny.

"W-what's going on?" he asked wildly and shakily.

"Shhh." that musical tone returned, a slim delicate hand reaching from the shadows to gently run through his hair and then lift and come back to gently caress his cheek, "Calm."

"I-I can't see." Sanji whispered, calming slightly.

"Yes you can, you just haven't adjusted to your new sight yet. Close your eyes, count to ten, and then open them slowly and believe that there is light in front of you." the mysterious voice again. Sanji became wary, but, he did as he was told… letting his lids drift closed and then counting, before slowly… ever so slowly, opening them again. Light flooded his vision, and he saw a flash of a beautiful face before his lids slammed shut of their own accord.

"Slower." mysterious whispered. Sanji tried again, opening his eyes small tiny bit, by small tiny bit until light began to filter through and finally, he could see properly.

"See Elder Robin. I told you he would be alright." that was the musical tone he had heard, only now, it bore a little bit of smugness, "Pay up."

"Oh alright. Geeze Nami, you really know how to stiff a guy." another voice, male this time, commented in return to Nami's demand. Slowly, the shapes came into focus and the first thing he laid eyes on, was a beautiful woman. She looked familiar. Very… familiar. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what are you looking at?" she asked with a smirk.

"B-beautiful." he muttered. That damn stutter. It just wouldn't go away.

"I sure am." the woman winked back, a hand on her hip. Sanji smiled.

"Your name my lovely?" he asked.

"Nami." she replied lightly.

"Nami-san. How beautiful." and then he had to pause. That name sounded… familiar once again. Sanji felt weird though. Like when… you know something's out of place but you just can't figure out what. You just have no idea but it's on the tip of your tongue.

"Let's see if this has been correctly done." Robin murmured, sweeping over to what seemed to be a cupboard and then opening it to reveal a shaft of sunlight. Sanji, without even thinking he was going to do it, jumped from the stool and hissed, running into a corner. Robin quickly shut the small door as Nami had a similar reaction. The man standing to the side smirked.

"You know, he's pretty lively this one, isn't he?" he asked, looking from Robin to Nami and back. The two women ignored him and the man threw his hands into the air and walked out.

"Always ignored." Nami smirked at Robin, who chuckled lightly.

"What the hell was that?" Sanji suddenly asked, staring at his hands and running his tongue lightly over the two points that were his canine teeth. Nami smiled, looked at Robin who nodded gently. Hurrying forward, Nami gently took Sanji's cheek before tilting her head and smiling.

"You're a vampire." she said. Sanji blinked back at her, unbelieving that such ridiculous words could come from such a beautiful mouth. 

"I'm a what?" he asked softly, voice tremulous with laughter. Nami sighed.

"Why do they always… okay, here." and she lifted a Compaq and opened the lid, showing the reflection to Sanji.

"… there's nothing there." he muttered. Nami nodded.

"Exactly. Makes it hell to do my makeup." she growled, looking at Robin who smiled softly back at her, almost agreeing. Sanji blinked again before raising a hand to touch at his hair, his eyes, his nose and his mouth.

"Luffy's not back!" the red haired man yelled as he ran back in, cape billowing. He seemed to be on the verge of a panic. Robin turned to him, her own eyes full of worry but she hid it well.

"Elder Shanks, he may have gotten into a fight with a Fairy and then had to take shelter for the day." she rationalized. Shanks shook his head, red hair going everywhere.

"Kuro isn't back either." he explained. If Luffy missing had been bad, this sparked a full panic. Nami slapped a hand over her mouth and hurried to Robin's side, who frowned angrily.

"You don't think…" Nami began, watching Shanks carefully. The man shook his head again.

"I don't know Nami. He doesn't like Luffy true, but, he doesn't like those Fairies either. And he knows we need all the people we can get. Kuro's bad, but he's not stupid." Shanks replied. Sanji watched all of this from afar, keeping himself well pushed into his safe little corner, with hormones raging… eyes flashing, blurred memories. Food. Teeth. Ripping. Blood. He grabbed at his head, holding it tightly as he crouched on the floor.

"Nami. Get over there and make sure he eats before something bad happens." Shanks ordered. Nami briefly glared at him before turning to Sanji again. 

"Oh shit." Nami cursed, turning and seeing Sanji crouched in the corner. Gently taking him by the arm, Nami began leading him towards the group's own underground blood bank. When they had exited, and Shanks and Robin were left alone, the two glanced at each other.

"Our little captain-san is fine… but, I can only hope that the new one will not be as… dangerous." Robin said, her voice dropping an octave with every word she spoke. Shanks shook his head.

"As long as Luffy can control his hunger... until the day's out... he should be fine." Shanks replied. Robin nodded, "I hope..."

---

"Zoro?" a soft voice called from the lounge room. Zoro watched the computer as it downloaded a page for a second, before standing and moving out to see what the boy wanted. Luffy was sitting up on the couch, rubbing blearily at his eyes. When he saw Zoro, he yawned and made to get up. But the swordsman instantly noticed something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Whereas before, Zoro had felt alright around Luffy, now… oh now. Never in his life had he experienced such a terrifying fear. Luffy looked at him like he was strange, tilting his head and blinking in a confused fashion. Zoro took a step back, frowning.

"Luffy, I don't know what it is but, don't come any closer." Zoro warned. Luffy's smile turned feral, his eyes widened and a dark, dark red gleam came to them. Glowing softly and then intensifying until Zoro found it hard to look away. This had been what Kuro had done last night, and now Luffy was doing it.

"Ah!" Luffy yelled, shaking his head and clutching at it. He took a deep breath and then looked up at Zoro, face normal again, "I need food. Sorry Zoro." and he smiled. Zoro shook his head and let out a long sigh of relief. That had been damn close.

"No problem. What do you want?" 

"Meat!" the boy cried, running after him. Even though Zoro still felt that fear, he could tell that Luffy was going to be okay now. He didn't know why, he just did. Pulling out some steak… or something. What the hell was that? Zoro looked closely at the expiration date. Well, whatever it was, didn't go out of date until the next week so, it must have been okay. Luffy waited at the table, drooling gallons of saliva while he waited. What was Zoro doing? Pulling out that pan. Turning on a stove. He was a vampire! He didn't like human blood, but, animal blood was okay.

"Zoroooo! Don't cook my meat! I'm a vampire!" Luffy cried. Zoro blinked and looked down at the tray in his hands before laughing a little nervously.

"Right." and he put it on the table. Instantly, Luffy's teeth elongated and Zoro had to look away. That was just too freaky to behold. Ignoring the sounds behind him, Zoro moved back to the computer in the other room. While Luffy had been asleep, Zoro had taken the liberty of covering every window in the house with heavy blankets. Kind, thoughtful… and so out of character for Zoro.

He had no idea what had made him do it, but, he didn't really want this kid to die… again. He seemed to have a bad enough life or afterlife, as it was. He had barely sat down at the computer, when Luffy bounced in. Grinning widely, Luffy flopped into a lounge chair at the side of the room. He swiped his tongue over his teeth and let out a satisfied hum before looking towards his new friend. Once again, he swiped his tongue over his teeth, removing the last of the blood from them and leaving them sparkling clean.

"Na Zoro, you're so nice for a human! All the others tried to kill me!" he said. Zoro shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed by it all, but not saying anything, "And they didn't feed me. Or bandage me, or anything! Just… left me."

"Hey Luffy," Zoro interrupted, swivelling on his chair to watch the vampire boy interestedly. Luffy paused and tilted his head, waiting, "Before... when you went all weird. What was that?" 

"Weird?" 

"Yeah. Your eyes glowed, and your teeth went long. You looked about ready to kill me."

"When?"

"Before!" 

"Did I?" 

"Oh forget it!" and Zoro turned back to the computer, scowling as hard as he could. If this kid didn't want to answer his questions, then screw the little bastard. He would find out about Luffy, and then he would get rid of him. He was a pain in Zoro's ass right now, and it was a pain he really didn't need. Knock, knock, knock. Luffy looked up and grinned.

"Hey, hey Zoro! I think someone's at the door! Ha!" and Luffy grinned widely and excitedly at him, almost acting a little sarcastic... no... he _was _acting sarcastic. The little bastard! Zoro rolled his eyes and then made for the front of the house, leaving Luffy to the computer. Upon reaching the wooden, black painted door, he peered out the small spy hole and saw a blue haired woman standing outside. Vivi. Opening the door the tiniest slit, light flooded in and it made Zoro wince, having gotten used to the darkness of his home.

"What?" he growled. Vivi smiled.

"I was wondering, Zoro, have you seen Sanji?" she asked. Zoro blinked.

"No…"

"Oh. Well, Chef Zeff hasn't seen him, and though he's being very gruff about it, I think he's worried. I was just wondering if _you_ had seen him."

"No, not since I saw him with Nami two days ago."

"Nami? Zoro, you saw Nami?" Vivi asked. She suddenly sounded breathless. Zoro blinked.

"At midnight the other night. She wanted to meet Sanji for some reason."

"Oh." and she nodded a little distractedly before peering in, "Why is it all dark in there?" 

"No reason. I just like it dark." 

"Oh. Well, Zoro, if you hear about Sanji then, please tell me." and she waved and turned down the path. That led out of his front yard. So, Sanji was missing huh? That certainly was strange.

"Hello!" and suddenly Luffy's face was in his. Zoro yelled, and jumped back in surprise, groping at his hip for his swords out of instinct. Luffy laughed uproariously and jumped down from the roof.

"How did you get up there?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know. Just did. So, she's looking for Sanji huh? She won't find him." and he hummed merrily as he made his way after Zoro and down the hall. Zoro blinked and turned into the computer room once more.

"What do you mean by that? You know where cheese head is?" 

"Yep! Sure do! He's at home, with Nami and Usopp and Elder Robin and Elder Shanks! He'll be converted by now too!" and he flopped back into the chair again.

"Converted?" 

"Yep!" and then he blinked before biting his lip, "Oh no. Nami said never to tell anyone about that." and he thumped a fist gently against his head, "Stupid."

"… Ookaaay... besides the fact that Sanji has been 'converted', is this you?" and he pointed at the computer. Luffy hopped over and then stopped stock still, staring at the picture on the screen, and the news clipping that went along with it.

'_April 21st this month, a young boy disappeared around the Fushia area. Only seventeen, Monkey D Luffy has simply vanished into thin air and his caretaker, Miss Makino, reports that she hasn't heard anything of him since he left earlier that night. Investigators have been looking around the forest for a body, while also scouring the lakes and local rivers and estuaries. Monkey D, is nowhere to be found. We regret the loss of yet another young boy in this area, after it was discovered that his older brother, Portgas D Ace, was reported missing a year before Luffy's disappearance. God help us all in this horrible, horrible war.'_

Luffy blinked at the page, his eyes becoming slightly unfocused and glazed. It seemed Luffy was remembering, or thinking, or overwhelmed about this. Zoro waited patiently, not wanting to press matters. Instead, he studied the picture. It was Luffy alright, grinning and holding the tattered straw hat to his head. Standing behind him, was a woman with a bandana covering her black hair, and a young man who looked similar to Luffy but with sleepily narrowed eyes, and freckles covering his cheeks and nose. Finally, Luffy seemed to come out of his trance and blinked at the picture again.

"Dragon… He's not there... he left..." he murmured before grinning, "I remember him! Ha! But, only little bits."

"Better than nothing." Zoro commented. Luffy nodded eagerly. He had something about his and Ace's father to go on now. Something… he could look for if he ever wanted to find him. But he really didn't... he had no reason to. His father was probably dead by now anyway. Sighing a little, Luffy turned to his friend who was yawning widely.

"Hey Zoro, do you have a family?" Luffy asked with a small smile. Zoro paused for a moment, a few small flashes of a shadow of a memory, trailing into his mind before he frowned.

"No. I'm an orphan." and he stalked out. Luffy pouted and then turned back to the computer, staring at the glowing screen for a while, and studying his brother's visage. Zoro stopped in the lounge room, and clenched his fists for a moment before letting out a long sigh. Why was he so embarrassed about being an orphan? It wasn't uncommon these days, in the middle of this war.

"Stupid..." He muttered. He didn't like the war... and he didn't like the Fairies, nor the damn Vampires. Luffy was so civilised for a vampire, and it unnerved Zoro at the same time as making him incredibly curious. He had so many questions about the reasons for Vampires being the way they were. But... he wasn't going to pry. He just wasn't that sort of person. Frowning a little, Zoro pushed the thoughts of being an orphan to the back of his mind and then moved to the kitchen to see the whole table was clear... the meat was gone, the tray was empty... and there were marks on the table that suggested Luffy had licked it clean. Sticking his tongue out in disgust, Zoro walked in to get a cloth and clean the table. Vampires...

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**Poor Zoro. XD**


	4. Shadows

**The italics **_like this _**are memories, or flashbacks, whatever you would like to call them and it will be the same all the way through this story. Pretty easy to figure it out though, so don't fret. k? And if the italics are used this way (**_Hiya Zoro! _Thought Luffy.) **then yeah, it's thoughts obviously. I usually say it is someone speaking anyhow. Hope you can work it out. lol. **

**And just to clear something up, when the gang (Nami, Luffy, Sanji etc) refer to Shanks, Smoker, Kuro or Robin indirectly to each other, they refer to them by their names. When they are talking to an Elder directly they will put Elder before their names (eg Elder Shanks). Except Luffy, who sometimes forgets. But he gets reprimanded for it. he he he. And usually when he talks to Shanks away from anyone, like, one on one, then he just calls him Shanks. **

**And I wanna say a special thankyou to Lieju, who is giving me some great advice with this fic! Thanks a lot:)**

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 4: Shadows**_

That night Luffy looked out the front door of Zoro's house, while the green haired man stood behind him and yawned impatiently. He was tired and his eyes drooped tiredly. Luffy looked around a little bit and then peered up at the moon above. It was a nice night, and the stars were out. Beautiful.

"So go already." he muttered, yawning again. Luffy turned and tilted his head at him. That wasn't very nice... Did Zoro want him gone that badly? Blinking a little, Luffy's bottom lip bordered on a pout.

"Na Zoro. You want me to leave?" he asked, upset. Zoro shrugged non-commitally.

"I don't give a damn what you do. Just be more careful next time, that's all." he replied, failing to mention the fact that Luffy was slashed up, because of him. Luffy grinned and jumped out the door and onto the doorstep, spinning around and clasping his hands behind his back as he grinned up at the man before him.

"I will! Thanks for everything Zoro! I'll come back and visit ya sometime!" A last grin, a jaunty wave and then he ran away down the street, disappearing amongst the shadows. Zoro sighed as he closed the door, pausing with a hand laid against the wood. Something about that damn kid… he just seemed to relate to Zoro so well. It was both infuriating, and intriguing at the same time. Actually, it made him want to go after Luffy, catch him and then order him to tell him everything because Zoro could feel that something between them was in some way, connected. They were… the same. But they walked either sides of the same line.

"Stupid…" Zoro muttered before turning away and heading for his bed. He needed some sleep… badly.

---

Luffy hummed merrily to himself as he wandered down an alleyway. Nothing could worry him tonight. He had made a human friend, and he seemed so cool that Luffy could just jump in the air and cry out for joy. He hadn't been proper friends with a human since… well, ever. Elder Kuro forbid it. But Luffy wasn't going to say anything to Kuro about Zoro, he wasn't even going to see Kuro. He was going to go straight to Shanks and report what had happened. His smile fell a little though as he walked and he once again raised his eyes to the sky.

After all, a crazed Elder vampire running the streets could quite possibly cause a bit of panic. He also wondered how Sanji was doing. Waking up after being converted was a pretty stressful time. Sighing as he paused a moment, Luffy looked at the ground beneath his feet before raising his hands and looking at his nails. Longer than average, they looked almost ethereal in the moon's light.

How he hated this... He didn't mind being a vampire, he didn't mind that he had to drink animal blood and didn't breathe. What he hated... was that he couldn't make friends with humans... and humans had always been of great interest to him. Not for food, or for anything more. He just wanted... friendship. Yeah... Smiling a little at the memory of Zoro, he picked up a fast pace again.

Trotting around a corner, Luffy had to pause to get his bearings. This… wasn't a place he knew. It was decorated with… shining scales and bright lights. The boy frowned and took a step back. He knew where he was.

Fairy territory.

He could smell them already. Taking another step back, Luffy paused as he collided with something solid… and sharp. A broad sword. Wide and thick. Being shoved to his knees was not an experience Luffy enjoyed, and he spun around, baring his teeth at the Fairies as they stared down at him unemotionally.

"Well hello there." a female voice said behind him. Luffy slowly turned and his eyes widened when they fell upon a tall, slim, and beautiful Fairy standing there. She had eyes that were a deep ocean blue, bright red lips and lashes that were batted at him. Her smile made him take a step back, or at least he tried but his back hit the soldier Fairies and he was trapped, gazing at this woman as she approached him.

Her wings were covered in tiny, red rubies that were speckled with a glowing gold dust. She was one of the higher up Fairies. But not the leader. The leader was someone else, Luffy knew that much. She stepped up to him and cocked her head slightly to the side, regarding him out of the bottom of her eyes.

"Quite a little handsome one, isn't he?" she muttered as she leaned down. Luffy was dumbstruck for a moment before a hiss found it's way to his lips and he proceeded to let it out.

"Hmph, not very nice." and she ran a red lacquered fingernail under the boy's chin and then over his cheek and across his forehead. Luffy couldn't stand it. He slammed a punch into her side, but then found himself in the arms of the soldier Fairies, their swords at his throat and their armour biting into his skin. The woman frowned up at him before standing and bumping her hip to one side so she could place a hand upon it.

Clicking her other fingers, the soldier Fairies proceeded to pull back on Luffy's limbs… but what they didn't know, could certainly hurt them. Luffy was out of their grip in no time, twisting on the ground like a snake and then striking at their feet. Wings hummed and the soldiers were in the air, swords levelled at Luffy, who smirked. He hadn't had the opportunity to fight in a long time, and to tell the truth… he missed it.

Adrenaline, the life pumping through him. It was an incredible feeling that he loved. Having to hurt someone was what he hated. Jerking a fist back, he crashed it into the foremost soldier Fairy's skull, sending him backwards into the stone wall where he grabbed at his face and made a high, keening sound. The woman Fairy sighed and frowned. Why did she always have to do these things herself? Hefting a deadly looking bat with spikes all over it, she swung it around at Luffy.

The boy ducked so easily, one could have sworn time had stopped just for a second, and Luffy had moved out of his place. Glaring at her through glowing, blazing eyes, Luffy smirked. The woman could feel herself falling for that hypnotisation effect and she turned her head away, breathing heavily. Luffy didn't waste a second, and leaped onto the stone wall, pushing his feet into the rock and making it crumble before propelling himself towards the other side. Fingertips found the ledge and he twisted and threw himself onto the roof.

"Nice try Alvida!" Luffy cried, pulling down an eyelid and poking his tongue out at her. She growled after him, pointing a group of soldier Fairies after him.

"Uh oh." Luffy muttered and bolted across the roof top, jumping from building to building while holding Shanks' hat to his head. He laughed while running. Really, this was kind of fun. He jumped straight up into the air, the grace and abilities the vampire side of him gave, making Luffy able to throw himself higher than a normal human being and he was able to hit the ground harder and from larger heights.

Twisting in mid-air, Luffy came back down into the alleyway between two buildings, letting himself fall into some trash and then staying very still. Fairies hummed over head. While being good fighters, and incredible tacticians, the Fairies were pretty stupid. Not having seen Luffy rocket his way down into the garbage which smelled of rotten lettuce, the Fairies had simply continued. Grinning widely at his success, Luffy wiped a trail of blood from his lips, and stood. The bandages around his chest were soaked with blood again.

"Ah, crap. Stupid Fairy bastards." Luffy growled as he brushed himself off and pulled a lolly wrapper from his hair. He would have to get Nami to look at him.

---

Sanji looked at his hands, and the nails which kept lengthening and then shortening for no reason at all.

"They're just adjusting to a size that will be suitable." Nami explained as she washed her hands in the sink and then dried them off. For once in his life, Sanji was afraid. Deathly afraid. Terrified. It wasn't a feeling he liked at all. No, it wasn't a feeling he liked one bit. But the fear didn't stem from the fact that he had died and come back a vampire, it came from the fact that he was dangerous now. Before, when he had started twisting and contorting into that creature, he had wanted to kill. To thrash and rip and tear. Blood had been all he had cared about. It was frightening him horribly. He had wanted to hurt Nami-san, and that he couldn't allow.

"I'm sorry." he muttered. Nami raised an eyebrow at him.

"What for?" she asked, "It's a natural part of becoming a vampire."

"Is it?"

"Of course. A vampire survives off of blood. It's natural that the first time you become one, the hunger consumes you." Nami replied and placed a hand on her hip.

"Nami-swaaaan is so smart!" Sanji suddenly cried, jumping to his feet and twirling around. Nami sighed and shook her head. He hadn't forgotten that then.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun." she replied sweetly and walked away, rolling her eyes, "Idiot." Sanji trotted behind her all the way back to the main corridor, where Kuro bumped straight into Nami and knocked her over. He barely glanced back at her as he continued. Frowning, Sanji bent down to help Nami up.

"Moron." Sanji cursed, "Are you alright Nami-san?" Nami nodded and put a hand to her elbow which was grazed.

"Damn Kuro." she muttered to herself before looking a little worried, "Wonder where Luffy is?" and she turned to look behind her. Nothing. Despite the fact that Luffy was a stubborn, annoying, _broke_, little pain in her ass… she hoped he was alright.

Shanks was just discussing Kuro and Luffy's disappearances, when Kuro swept into the room.

"Where is he?" Kuro snarled, stopping in the middle of the large room. Shanks raised an eyebrow, and leant forward as if interested. He was sitting on the edge of a large mahogany desk, that was littered with large and ornate books that Robin was leaning over beside him. She peered up Kuro and then turned her eyes to Shanks, who blinked.

"Where is who?" he asked. Robin let a small smile slip over her face before turning to Kuro.

"I believe he is referring to Luffy-san."

"Perhaps so, but, Luffy has a name and it is to be used." Shanks said, a light tone of threat coming into his voice and directed at Kuro. The man rose an eyebrow before raising a hand and straightening his glasses with the palm.

"Fine, where is _Luffy_?" he asked venemously.

"Not here." Shanks replied, smirking as he leant back in his chair again. Kuro nearly blew a gasket but then he controlled his anger and smiled icily.

"When the boy returns, I wish to see him immediately."

"When, who returns?" Shanks inquired, leaning an ear towards Kuro as if he hadn't heard properly. Kuro's lip twitched. He hated that red haired bastard with all of his undead heart. He was a fool!

"Luffy." and then he stalked out. Shanks turned to Robin with a self satisfied smile.

"I love winding him up." he commented. Robin chuckled lightly and turned away. She had always enjoyed watching Shanks wind Kuro up, it was amusing to say the least. And it wasn't like the dark vampire didn't deserve it. Kuro was a bastard... and Robin agreed totally. Standing, she gathered a book with a crescent moon carved into wrinkled and tanned leather as the cover, into her arms and hugged it slightly. Smiling at Shanks, she raised a hand and brushed at her hair slightly.

"You certainly show it." and then she drifted from the room, almost like she had never been there. Shanks was left alone, and his smile fell slowly as thoughts of what could possibly have happened to Luffy, rushed through his mind. Where could that kid be?

Stupid Luffy.

Always getting into more trouble than he could handle. Pressing the fingers of his one hand against his lips, he watched the doorway… hoping against hope that Luffy would walk through it and grin at him again. Instead, Nami entered the room and looked around interestedly for a second before spotting Shanks and hurrying over.

"Luffy still hasn't come back Elder Shanks?" she asked, sounding almost worried. Shanks raised an eyebrow and then shook his head sadly.

"No. And I'm beginning to get a little worried. But… Kuro didn't touch him. Walked in here like he was king of the world and demanded to see Luffy, so, he doesn't know where Luffy is either." Shanks replied, smiling up at her. Nami grinned in relief as Sanji looked around the room interestedly behind her.

"Good. Last time he and Luffy were alone…" and she trailed off. Shanks nodded, knowing where she was going with the sentence. Last time Luffy had been alone with Kuro, the poor boy had barely been able to survive. Shanks could still remember that day when he had found Luffy curled up in the corner of his room, blood all over the floor.

_Shanks knocked on Luffy's door and then opened the door and peered in. The first thing that hit him was the overpowering smell of coppery blood, and he had to quell his rising hunger. _

"_Luffy?" Shanks asked, slowly stepping in. Unfortunately, he stepped in a pool of blood and slipped, crashing into the door frame and wincing. _

"_Ouch damnit." he grunted before looking around again. There was no Luffy in sight in here, but, a trail of blood led around the bed and into a corner. Choosing to follow it, Shanks ended up finding Luffy curled up in said corner, hands wrapped around himself and eyes closed, indicating he was unconscious. Not a part of Luffy's body was clear of blood and it looked like possibly he could have been blind in his left eye. That gash underneath it was pretty nasty and he would have to be lucky to avoid becoming blind in that eye. _

"_NAMI!" Shanks yelled at the top of his lungs, as he began trying to unfold Luffy's arms and legs so he could see the full extent of the boy's wounds. Nami raced in and stopped, her senses going wild before she spotted Shanks kneeling in the corner. She hurried around and stopped, her face contorting in horror as she saw Luffy. Shanks turned back to Nami, his face pale._

"_Get Robin. Now." Shanks commanded. Nami nodded but stayed where she was. The smell of blood was making her not want to move, "Nami, NOW!" and the girl ran out of the room again, realising what was happening and quelling her hunger before anything could happen. Shanks turned back to Luffy and gazed at the gashes covering the boy's body. _

---

_Shanks waited outside the infirmary, fingers tapping against his knee impatiently. Robin hadn't sounded confident when she had seen Luffy in the state he was. _

"_Poor kid." Shanks muttered to himself before Nami emerged from the room and looked down at Shanks with a hesitant smile._

"_He's going to be okay." she said softly as she rested a hand on his shoulder. Shanks let out a deep breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Being dead was supposed to mean he didnt have to do those sorts of things. _

"_Thanks Nami." he replied before looking into the room and spotting Luffy lying on one of the beds, light from the overhead lamp making his features look pale, or perhaps that was the blood loss. _

"_You can come in, Shanks." Robin said. Immediately, the red haired man was in the room and leaning over Luffy.  
_

"_Is he alright?"  
_

"…_I don't know. Navigator-san and I did all we could, but… he's lost a lot of blood and he won't drink anymore, so, I don't know if he'll be able to recover." Robin replied, her voice wavering slightly. Shanks had forgotten how much Luffy had affected the group down here. Hope took a whole new meaning when Luffy walked into your life. Dreams would no longer become unreachable when Luffy found them out. He was… well, 'inspiration walking' really.  
_

"_I can get him to…" Shanks murmured, watching Luffy's every movement carefully. Robin nodded and moved out of the room, taking Nami with her. _

---

"Hello? Elder Shanks?" Nami's voice came to him through his thoughts and then Shanks snapped his head around and looked at her.

"Sorry Nami. Just thinking." he replied, smiling, "What's up?"

"Sanji's been successfully converted… and he's following me like a lost puppy." and she sighed slightly in annoyance. Shanks chuckled.

"Of course he is. You're the first one he saw when he woke up."

"Oh no. Not just that. If it was that I would understand. He was like this when he was human too." Nami explained testily. Shanks snorted to himself and then covered his mouth with his hand. Nami scowled and scuffed a hand up the back of his head. Shanks burst out laughing.

"Quite obvious why, don't you think?" he asked in between laughs. Nami raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh well. Figure it out for yourself."

"Nami..." a soft, almost breathless voice said from the doorway. Nami turned and saw Luffy standing… or more like, leaning against the door frame, his front bandaged but the white bandages were soaked in red blood. Shanks jumped to his feet and hurried over to the boy.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Luffy nodded up at him, attempting a smile but ultimately failing as his eyes drooped with blood loss.

"Na Shanks, of course!" and then a dizzy spell hit him and he gripped the door frame harder. Nami hurried over and put one of his arms over her shoulders, gently guiding him back towards the infirmary. As they walked along, Luffy stumbled a few times but kept himself upright.

"Sanji!" Luffy chirped upon seeing the blonde looking through a door. Sanji turned and then raised an eyebrow at Luffy… obviously not knowing him.

"Get out of my room Sanji, and help me with Luffy!" Nami snapped. Sanji blinked and then hurried over, taking Luffy's other arm and helping her guide him into the infirmary.

"Really Nami, I'm fine. Zoro patched me up real good. He's good at bandages and stuff." Luffy explained.

"Then how come you're covered in blood?" Nami asked testily as she cut the bandages and then paused upon seeing the slashes there. She slowly looked up at Luffy, but the boy just grinned.

"What? I had a run in with some Fairies! But I roughed them up good!" and he chortled to himself. Nami smirked. These cuts couldn't possibly be caused by Fairies. Fairies had jagged, rough blades that ripped and tore the flesh rather than just slicing it. And these cuts were smooth, neat and deep. Wait a minute…?

"Zoro?" Nami asked, leaning back to look at Luffy, "Is that the guy you said you went and talked to the other night?"

"Uh huh. I saved him from Kuro cos Kuro was gonna… oops." and then he clamped his mouth shut. Nami stopped her cleaning of his chest to glare at Luffy dangerously.

"What was Kuro going to do?"

"Can't tell. If I do… Kuro said he'd kill Zoro. And Zoro's my friend, I can't let that happen!" and he shook his head, raven hair going every direction while the straw hat on his head swung from side to side. Nami sighed.

"Look, why don't you tell Shanks? He can protect Zoro."

"…Nami! That's an awesome idea! You're so smart Nami!" Luffy cried happily. Nami winked as she began tightening bandages around Luffy's skinny torso.

"Of course I am."

"Ah, Nami-swaaan is so lovely when she's looking after skinny little brats."

"Hey! I'm not a brat! Gee Nami, he's rude." Luffy said, pouting forcefully at Sanji as the blonde continued to fawn over Nami.

"He's always been like that. He's harmless… most times." and she raised a fist and crashed Sanji over the head as he tried to peek over her shoulder and look down her shirt. Luffy raised an eyebrow and then looked down as Nami finished the bandages with a flourish and then ran out, intent on seeing Shanks. Sanji lay on the floor, twitching.

"Mellorine…" he muttered. Nami gave a huffy sigh, latched onto the blonde's leg, and continued to drag him out of the room.

Luffy bounced into Shanks' room and then leaped into a seat that was always reserved for him. It was a very comfortable seat too. All padded, with red velvet covers and stuff. It was Luffy's favourite chair and that's why it was in Shanks' room, because anything nice in Luffy's room, usually disappeared. Luffy, Nami and Shanks had a sneaking suspicion that Kuro was the culprit. He did anything to inconvenience Luffy.

"Alright now?" Shanks asked as he scratched idly at some peeling paint on the wall. Luffy turned to him and grinned widely before nodding.

"Yep!"

"Let me guess… Kuro, right?" Shanks asked as he moved over to a chair opposite Luffy's. The boy bowed his head slightly and then smiled.

"Shanks knows Elder Kuro and Luffy to well." he said. Shanks smirked back.

"I should. I've been around a while." and he grinned, "I'm an oldie." and Luffy burst into laughter. Shanks joined in quickly.

"Shanks isn't old!" and then Luffy frowned, "Elder Kuro is."

"What did he do?" Shanks asked and then encountered the inevitable silence he knew he would get as soon as he asked that question.

"I made a new friend!" Luffy replied, avoiding the question. Shanks leaned back in the chair, knowing that if he talked to Luffy for a while then eventually the boy would come out with it.

"Really?" he asked, humouring the boy.

"Uh huh. His name's Zoro! He's cool too! Let me stay at his house today and covered all the windows and everything so I wouldn't get hurt or burned. Even looked up my…" and he paused for a moment, "Family…" Shanks watched Luffy with interest before smiling.

"So, what's he look like?" Shanks asked to get Luffy out of his thoughts.

"…huh? Oh, Zoro. Well, he has green hair and he's tall… but a bit shorter than Sanji. He has three gold earrings in his left year and he's kinda grumpy, but, he's funny." and Luffy continued to prattle on about his day with this Zoro guy, but it was one of Luffy's sentences that made Shanks pull the reins on this runaway cowboy.

"Wait, wait, you said Zoro helped you because you saved him? What did you save him from?" Shanks asked, narrowing his eyes a little. Luffy paused and bowed his head so his hair covered his eyes.

"If I tell you, Elder Kuro said he would hurt Zoro."

"He did huh? Hmm…" and Shanks thought for a minute, "Well, Kuro doesn't know where Zoro lives, does he?" Luffy's head raised slowly, his eyes sparking slightly in hope.

"…No! Ha! He can't hurt Zoro!" Luffy cried and grinned widely, "Shanks is the bestest!"

"So, what was Kuro going to do?"

"He was going to bite Zoro and drain him! He already killed another woman too! And then I saw him using his eyes on Zoro and I shoved him and we fought and he did this," Luffy pointed at his chest, "and then Zoro took me to his home and looked after me. When I left there last night, I ran into some Fairies and fought them, and that's why I was bleeding." and Luffy stopped there, grinning and happy to get the whole thing off his chest. Shanks was so good to talk to.

"Bite Zoro? Without… not convert him?"

"Nope. Just bite him and take his blood." Luffy said sternly. Kuro biting Zoro at first had been a no no, but now, it was on the 'You do that and you die' list. Not many people were on that list, and the people who were, found that facing an angry Luffy was more frightening than one of their worst nightmares. When that kid was angry, he was **angry.** Shanks nodded and then smiled at Luffy.

"Thanks for telling me." and he reached over and knocked the hat back enough to scratch at Luffy's hair, knocking it in all directions. Luffy giggled and then pulled the hat back down on his head and jumped from the chair.

"I'm gonna go to bed! I think the stupid sun's coming up again." and he moved towards the door.

"Oh, and Luffy," Shanks began. Luffy paused in the doorway and turned back to him, "Stay away from Kuro." Luffy nodded and grinned.

"I'll run. See ya!" and he hurried out. Shanks leaned back in his chair, chewing gently on the side of one finger before shaking his head. Kuro was walking a thin line between a Vampire… and a Fairy.

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**So, what do you think of Luffy vampire? Sorry it was so short, got a little sidetracked. **


	5. Visiting Zoro

**I do not own anything mentioned in this chapter, that is not a part of the original plot. -grin- Gawd that sounded stupid...**

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 5: Visiting Zoro**_

It had been a week since Luffy had left, and at odd times Zoro found himself wondering if the kid had found his way home alright. He hoped he wouldn't walk around some corner and find the boy lying dead in front of him. In some strange way, Luffy had managed to get under Zoro's skin. It wasn't just strange though, it was irritating. Outside, a scuffle broke out between some Fairies.

They often fought amongst themselves, quite often fighting over scraps of food, who captured a human, who would have the opportunity to kill another Vampire, although the 'Who gets to kill vampire' fights usually happened at night and woke up the whole neighbourhood. Right now though, it was over who would get the credit for capturing a human. Zoro covered his ears as the screeches escalated to impossible levels and then died away again.

"…idiots." he muttered vehemently before looking back down to where he was polishing his swords. He had at least managed to get _some_ sleep, and he could feel himself getting sleepy again now, so it would soon be time for a nap. A loud yell made him jump and then he turned his face away and ignored the horrible noises coming from outside.

Usually Zoro would have gone out and defended the human but… today, there were at least thirteen of the damn things swarming over the poor human man. He winced as the man screamed again and he grit his teeth even harder. Help. He needed to help, and now. Standing up, Zoro took a deep breath and strode out of his doorway, pulling his swords out and placing them at the ready. He finally found the Fairies around the corner, and he dropped into a fighting crouch as they turned towards him.

"Come on you pretty little pricks." he hissed and the Fairies began screeching and gibbering amongst themselves before turning towards Zoro and smirking with sharp teeth. Two humans in one day... great! Rarely did they get an opportunity like this.

"Food." they said in unison before diving forward, leaving the man they had been harassing, to run. And he did indeed run, as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"Yeah, that's right. Food." Zoro responded before a smirk slid across his face, "But I may just give you indigestion." and he snickered while he fended off sharp, rusted blades. Claws, and wings as hard as stone. They were swarming all over him and finally, he managed to slash out and catch one around the neck, slicing it's head off. Screeches ran through the group and their attacks intensified.

Zoro slashed, sliced, spun, twisted, back-flipped, and generally did everything to try and get the hell away from the mongrels. Bites began appearing in his skin, slashes opened up over his chest and blood splattered across the ground. Fairy blood mingled with Zoro's own, until finally all thirteen were dead. The last Fairy had thought about running for it, but, they were competitive and overconfident of themselves, and it thought it could beat Zoro, but the swordsman proved it wrong.

It now lay on the ground in three different pieces. Zoro gasped for air, taking as much as he could into his lungs, but they were refusing to accept it, and continued contracting violently. He coughed and dropped to all fours, panting as he tried to stop himself from being sick. Fairy blood stank worse than human blood. Like something that had been rotting for a month, mixed with the normal coppery scent of human blood. Getting to his feet again, Zoro stumbled towards his home and collapsed into the door, crawling his way inside and then using a booted foot to slam the door behind him.

---

Luffy twitched as he came awake. It was night, a week after he had left Zoro's home, and tonight he was planning on going back there again. He hadn't forgotten about Zoro at all.

"No Sanji!" Nami cried, running past the door, "You aren't allowed out until you're at least a few days old." and then she walked back past the open doorway again, guiding the blonde back towards his newly established room. She paused a moment when she saw Luffy was awake and she sighed.

"Like raising a child, honestly." she said. Luffy grinned.

"Good luck! Hey, Nami! Can you tell Shanks that I've gone out?" he asked. Nami blinked and then a smile crept across her face.

"For a price."

"But… I don't have any money!"

"Then you owe me." and taking the collar of Sanji's jacket, she dragged him into the room after her, "Where are you going?" Luffy had grabbed a red jacket and was putting it on.

"I wanna go and see Zoro." he replied as he buttoned it up. Nami let a frown cross her face as Sanji stood beside her, gazing around the room. He had gone into the adjustment stage, where he was getting used to his new powers, and not breathing and everything that came with the Vampire package. So, being dead basically.

"Luffy, Zoro's trouble." Nami commented as she leaned against his wall. Luffy paused and looked up at her, straightening his hat as he did so.

"That's not very nice. Why?" 

"Because he always gets into trouble. He's rude, grumpy, and never repays the money he owes me." Nami reeled off. Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"But… I always get into trouble… and I never repay the money I owe you." Luffy replied. Nami sighed.

"Yes, but at least you're nice about it. Zoro just tells me to fuck off."

"Ha! He's so funny." and Luffy chuckled merrily as he began pulling his sandals on. Nami sighed again and shook her head.

"Luffy, I've been hanging around Sanji for a while, you know, getting him used to me, and whenever I see Zoro, he's always got some sort of bruise, cut, gash, wound, broken limb! The list is endless! He's a fighter, and he fights with the Fairies." Nami explained, barely retaining a hiss as she said Fairy. Luffy watched her for a minute, his eyes narrowing minimally. People who fought against the fairies, were good people. Not bad guys, like Nami was trying to say about Zoro. Luffy frowned.

"Zoro's my friend! He's the first human who hasn't gone running off when he's seen me. You're opinion of him is wrong Nami." and Luffy walked out. Nami sighed.

"Don't forget you owe me!" she called after him before looking back at Sanji, who turned to look at her before he smiled.

"Nami-san!" he said happily. Nami tilted her head. Curious...

"You don't remember anything other than me… do you?"

"I'll always remember _you_ Nami-swaaan!" he cooed. Nami sighed.

"Come on." and she dragged him out after her again.

---

Kuro watched as Luffy hurried past his door, and a cruel smirk slid across his face. Tonight he was going to finish the job he had started last time. He was going to kill that green haired human, and he was going to make Luffy watch. And then, true to style, Kuro was going to kill Luffy. After all, Kuro had brought Luffy into being, so why shouldn't he be the one to make sure he went out again? It made perfect sense… at least, it did to Kuro. Luffy was humming a rather irritating song as he hurried down the corridor towards the steel door that led to the outside world.

"Here's a llama, there's a llama, and another little llama… farmallama, carallama, llama llama, duck!" and Luffy giggled before repeating the same sentence again in quick succession. Kuro growled to himself as he swept down the hallway after the boy. Suddenly, Luffy paused and looked to his right.

"Brat! Get in here!" a grouchy voice called. Luffy blinked for a second before walking into the room and looking up at the man before him. This guy was a little weird... and grumpy, but... Luffy kinda liked him. He was a friend, and that was all that mattered.

"Elder Smoker! What's up?" Luffy asked as he walked in and stuck his hands into his pockets casually. Smoker turned to look at him, a permanent frown attached to his craggy face. He was a well built man, sturdy and strong. He also wore just a white jacket that wasn't done up at the front, and had an olden time Marine symbol printed on the back. You see, a long time ago, Smoker used to be a captain in the Marines. He was a powerful leader, and he always knew how to exert his authority. Smoker glanced at Luffy before sighing.

"Stop staring at me like that, and sit down." he growled, closing his eyes and gesturing vaguely at a chair in the corner as he turned back to his work. Outside, Kuro had crept to the edge of the door and was waiting and listening intently. No one would see him, even if they looked directly at him. Kuro had a special technique that he had perfected over his many years of being a vampire, and it was a stealth ability. He could hide in plain sight.

"Na Elder Smoker, I really have to go." Luffy whined, jumping from foot to foot as if he needed to go to the bathroom, not out the door. Raising an eyebrow, Smoker glanced at Luffy and frowned.

"You know, you're making me irritated just by watching you. Sit still!" Smoker barked. Luffy pouted but did as he was told, "Now, I hear you stayed at a human's house during the day, am I right?" 

"Uh huh! His name's Zoro! He's so co-" 

"Yeah yeah, that's great. Brat, humans are caught in the middle of this war, and if you want this 'Zoro' to survive, then I suggest bringing him down here and having him converted. Do I make myself clear?"

"But-" 

"No. If he stays a human, he won't survive. And we could always use another fighter around here." 

"Elder Smoker!" Luffy whined, "He's the first human that hasn't run away, or screamed at me. Or anything! He's been nice to me!" 

"Fine, I don't care. But don't come running to me when he's killed by a Fairy or a rogue vampire. Not my fault, I tried to warn you. Now get out!" and Smoker turned back to his papers, growling muttered curses as he continued filling out pages and pages of losses, gains, and battles won, fought, and lost. It was all he ever did, and after doing it for as long as he had, Smoker was becoming very pissed with it all.

Luffy watched Smoker for a minute before standing and exiting the room, humming in thought. Converting Zoro would mean Luffy would have a friend for life! But… he really didn't want to just _make _Zoro become a vampire. Zoro mightn't like that. His green haired friend certainly wasn't the type to give in to persuasion easily either, which made it harder. And Luffy liked having a friend who was human, because in a strange and backwards way, it made him feel human as well.

Sighing, Luffy pushed open the door and stepped out into the clear and crisp night. Silently, Kuro followed him. Luffy stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked up at the moon. It was full, and glowing in the darkness, it's light easily overshadowing that of the small stars beside it. Smiling, Luffy sighed.

"I'm not gonna make you convert, Zoro… that's too mean." he said aloud, promising it to the moon above so he wouldn't have to say it to Zoro's face. He grinned and laughed before hurrying forward on nimble feet. He was going to visit Zoro tonight, and he was going to have a big chat about everything that he had done in the last week. Luffy kinda hoped Zoro wouldn't be mean and lock him out though. That would be a little upsetting.

But, Luffy was sure Zoro would never do something like that! Running at top speed now, Luffy bolted for Zoro's house, unaware of the shadow following behind him on silent feet. Spotting the door in the distance, Luffy sped up but then skidded to a stop and sniffed the air cautiously. Something was wrong here. It smelt of blood… Fairy blood and human blood. If Luffy's heart had of been beating, it would have stood still.

"Zoro…" the boy whispered as he ran forward, ignoring the coppery and alluring smell of the blood. He had to resist… in favour of finding Zoro and making sure everything was alright. He crashed through the door and looked around wildly, moving to take a step forward, but he slipped in something and fell over backwards, cracking his head on the floor.

"Ouch!" Luffy cried before glaring down underneath him. It was everywhere… red and sticky and shining in the moonlight. Luffy scrambled to his feet and backed back to the doorway, looking around from there. Something had gone horribly wrong in here. Finally… he spotted a tuft of green, and he moved towards it, peeking his head behind the door. Dark eyes widened and Luffy squeaked as he jumped out from behind the door and dropped to his knees at Zoro's side.

"Zoro! What happened? Who did this to you? Are you alive? Can you speak?" Luffy reeled off, prodding Zoro in the side gently before gripping the swordsman's sides and gently rolling him onto his back. Luffy felt relief flooding through him when he didn't see any vampire teeth marks anywhere, but what he did see caused that relief to die almost instantly.

Scratches, gashes, dried and crusting blood around open wounds. Zoro was a mess. He was as pale as the moon itself and when Luffy put his ear to his chest, there was barely the 'thump-thump' of Zoro's heart. Twitching nervously, Luffy looked him over. If Zoro had of been a Vampire, then Luffy could have simply given him blood and he would be fine… but Zoro was human.

"Oh, what do I do?" Luffy cried, tapping his feet behind him on the vinyl floor. He hadn't had to deal with anything like this in his life. Both human and vampire, not that he remembered much about his human life but he was sure that the experience of walking in on someone half dead, would have been one of the few memories he had. Luffy tended to remember things like that.

What had Zoro done for him? Cleaned his wounds… bandaged him… but that had taken a long time. It was already about nine at night. That wasn't so bad, Luffy guessed. Yes. That was what he had to do then. He had to clean Zoro's wounds and bandage him and then let him sleep.

"Ah, that makes my job a little easier." a soft voice said at the doorway, a shadow falling across the floor in front of Luffy. He blinked, not able to look around the door and see who it was because he didn't want to leave Zoro's side. And then Luffy sensed it, and his teeth began to elongate and a hissing growl came from the back of his throat.

"Kuro!" he snarled, standing.

"Uh uh, it's Elder Kuro to you boy. I let you get away with it last time, but, I demand at least some respect before I kill you." and the tall, slim man stepped around from behind the door, two hairs springing free of the slicked back hair and falling over his forehead.

Luffy clenched both fists at his side and hissed at Kuro again, but the older Vampire was studying Zoro's inert form carefully, as though sizing up whether it was worth bothering with or not. Luffy glanced at Zoro, and then stepped over the man's body and in front of Kuro, almost chest to chest with the tall man.

"You're not going to kill Zoro like you did Makino." he snarled. Kuro raised an eyebrow and smiled in an almost amused fashion.

"I didn't kill Makino." he replied, obviously lying. Luffy hated him right then. Anyone who lied about things like that, they would never stand with Luffy. It wasn't right. And right now, Luffy glared at Kuro with all the hate and malice he could muster, staring into that unnaturally pale face, and the cruel smile portrayed beneath harsh, glowing amber eyes.

"You did!" Luffy yelled, moving to grab a hold of the front of Kuro's jacket. The man smirked evilly and swiped a hand down, slapping Luffy's fists off of him.

"Do not presume to tell me what I did, or didn't do. You are _not _the boss of me. In fact… I am the boss of you." and with a harsh growl, Kuro had Luffy's thin throat in his hand. Luffy didn't choke, as he didn't need air to survive, but the feeling itself was fairly uncomfortable and he twisted in the grip. Regarding him with silent amusement, Kuro continued crushing Luffy's neck.

"Did you know, boy, that if a vampire's head is separated from their body, then they will die instantly?" and Kuro smirked, "Judging by the look on your face, I'm going to say you didn't know. You don't know half the things a true vampire should know, and your dirty blood makes you even more despicable." and he dropped the boy to the ground. Luffy smiled at Kuro's mistake, and swiped a leg out, sending the taller man to the ground with a hard 'smack' that echoed throughout the room.

"And you call me dumb." Luffy commented as he stood again and gave his neck a short rub. Kuro chuckled, spitting out blood from his bitten cheek.

"Boy, I call you dumb, because you are. What I did was a mistake… there is a difference."

"Mistake this!" and Luffy drove his foot into Kuro's middle, sending him skidding backwards across the floor until he hit a wall and curled in upon himself, coughing. Snorting, Luffy turned back to Zoro. Kuro was a waste of his time, and wasting time was not an option Luffy had. Zoro's precious life was draining onto the floor, and Luffy needed to save him. Picking up Zoro, Luffy hissed at Kuro and kicked him in the gut once more before moving out the door and hurrying towards home.

But, the poor boy's luck must really have been bad that night, for as soon as he reached the park that was the halfway marker between the town and home, a screech caught his attention and turning, Luffy saw them. Fairies. They were hiding in the trees, behind the rocks, and some had shrunk their size so they could slip into holes into some of the statues of the Mayor of the town. Mayor Nefretari and his daughter… the one who had come to visit Zoro.

Vivian Nefretari. Nice enough girl, and not at all stuck up. Which was strange for someone as rich as she was, but, Luffy really didn't give a damn about all of that now. He was stuck in a park full of Fairies, with a human who was injured and leaking blood. They needed the energy that human's emitted to survive, to live. Not the blood as such, just their energy and they would suck them dry with their sharp little teeth.

Fairies really weren't all that different from Vampires, but they were less educated, and more violent. Except perhaps for the rogue vamps, but they were a different story. Luffy wasn't game to put Zoro down with so many emerald eyes watching him and instead he decided he would make a break for it. Using a speed that only came with being a vampire, Luffy ran his hardest towards the steel door in the side of an old abandoned house, that led towards home.

"Vampire!" went the call, screechy and harsh, biting voices repeated the yell around him and Luffy sped up, barely a blur to anyone or anything that looked his way. Clanging of armour and wings humming, made Luffy look to the side where he saw at least a group of four Fairies matching his speed. How were they doing that? Fairies, though nimble and agile, were not fast flyers.

They were pretty slow actually. Frowning, Luffy skidded to a stop and turned, grabbing the back of Zoro's shirt and hauling him back over his shoulder again as he ran the opposite way. These Fairies were obviously dying for a fight, and usually Luffy would be happy to oblige, but, he wasn't going to put Zoro in any more danger. Well… apart from taking him into a nest of vampires, but that was beside the point.

"Leave me alone!" Luffy yelled as they began catching up again. The Fairies screeched at him, baring their teeth and swinging their blood coated blades. Luffy hissed in return, letting his eyes glow in a warning before twisting in a new direction. By now, he was well away from the park, and running beside a deep and wide river.

If he could just keep running… he could use the old entrance into the abandoned rooms at the end of home. Yes, that was what he would have to do. Gasping, Luffy leapt into the air as a blade was swung around the vicinity of his feet. Snarling, Luffy glared at the offending Fairy as it grinned toothily back at him again.

"That's IT!" Luffy yelled as a blade barely missed Zoro's back. Swinging out his free arm, it stretched to an impossible length and knocked all the Fairies following him, backwards. Startled squeaks, and angry screeches followed him as Luffy grinned and continued running.

"You don't think you're going to escape that easily, do you?" a voice asked and Luffy skidded to a stop as a female Fairy appeared before him. She had red painted, long nails that were resting on her hip as she watched him with an amused smile. Alvida. She giggled merrily when she saw him.

"Thought you were going to get away… didn't you? Tsk, tsk. Do you think I became second in command by simply letting my enemies escape unharmed? Escape… alive?" and she smirked evilly. Luffy grinned.

"But I'm not alive! I'm… umm… undead!" he replied, sarcastically as his bright grin turned to a frown. Alvida raised an eyebrow.

"You're a little smarty, aren't you." she stated angrily before clicking her fingers. Luffy twisted as Fairies advanced on him. This time… he wasn't going to let them even lay a hand on him. Leaning back on one leg, he stretched the other out as far as it would go and grinned at the Fairies' look of bemusement. Swinging it back towards them, their eyes widened and they took to the air, but half of them didn't do it quickly enough and they squealed as they were sent hurtling into the river. Grinning in a self satisfied way, Luffy turned back to Alvida again.

"That it?" he asked. Alvida smirked before waving a hand over her shoulder.

"No. Of course not." she replied and a whole battalion (which was made up of at least ten to fifteen Fairies) stepped forward, making Luffy's eyes go wide. That had been rather unexpected. But he could take them.

"You know, in truth Vampire. We're not looking for you, we're after that bag of meat over your shoulder." Alvida commented, idly inspecting her nails. Luffy blinked.

"Zoro?" 

"Names mean nothing. They are humans, and therefore are either bags of meat, or bags of energy. Either way, they taste fine." and she delicately licked at her top row of sharp teeth. Luffy let his tongue roll from his mouth in disgust before jumping backwards as an arrow flew past.

_Aw man, archers! They're so hard to avoid and to beat! _Luffy thought as he dodged a Fairy that dived at him, and then brought his leg up and snapped it back down, breaking the Fairy's wings and back in one hit. He dodged another arrow and squeaked as a blade buried itself in his side. Glancing up at the evilly smiling Fairy, Luffy smirked before wrapping his free arm around it's neck and lifting it into the air, slammed it back into the ground again.

All the bones in the Fairy's body snapped with the impact and it was dead instantly. Alvida watched as Luffy defeated each Fairy individually, leaving none alive and usually snapping their necks, or arms or whatever he could get at. This Vampire was violently dangerous… and Alvida was sure she wasn't going to face him. Spreading her ruby red wings wide, she took to the air and flew back towards the base again.

She wasn't stupid.

But the rest of her battalion was, and they continued fighting despite their losses. Every now and again, they would get a hit in but, Luffy didn't really feel it. Dark eyes glowed a deep red, and his mouth was stretched wide as his teeth elongated. This always happened when Luffy was fighting. He would begin to go feral, until he realized what was happening, and forced himself under control again.

Finally, all the Fairies lay dead on the ground and Luffy stood in the middle of them all, breathing heavily although he didn't need the air. It was a natural reaction when something like this happened, and he forced his urges to fight and kill, away. Zoro moaned lightly on his shoulder and Luffy jumped, looking at the human.

"Ah! Need to get you to Shanks!" he cried and looked around him before taking off in the direction he had been heading before Alvida interrupted.

"And just where are you going?"

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**Clarobell likes the llama song! -cheeky grin- thankyou for giving me a song for Luffy to sing Clarobell! lolol. I don't own it by the way. Tis not mine, not one word. -grin-**

**Okay, hopefully this story will have more fighting, more action, more... umm... ZoLu-ness and SanNam-ness. So review! And tell me if ya like this! And for those reading this, and not looking for the romance (Lieju -wink and wave-) there will be just more action and what not. -nods- Hope you enjoy!**


	6. Two of a Kind

**Sorry about the wait, Fanfic was being evil. I'm sure you all experienced it! Stupid thing it is. Anyway, here's the sixth chappie!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 6: Two of a kind**_

Luffy stopped as he heard that voice behind him and he grit his teeth and turned around, eyes flashing harshly with anger that had yet to dissipate. Laughter echoed in his ears as Luffy stared at the Vampire he thought he had gotten rid of back at Zoro's house.

"You really think a weak kick like that would defeat me? Please." Kuro snarled as he began moving forward, pushing his glasses up with the heel of his hand. Long, thin and lethally sharp swords glittered in the moonlight as the glasses flashed dangerously.

"You're a bastard." Luffy snapped. Kuro raised an eyebrow from behind his glasses, the moonlight lighting up one side of his face as he smirked sadistically. It gave him an even more insane look than usual.

"You're not very nice you know. I should have killed you a long time, but with that red haired moron hanging around, it's like trying to break into a prison. But now… you're alone."

"I've been alone plenty of times before." Luffy replied, his fist clenching at his side. Zoro gave another light moan, but Luffy didn't hear him. He was angry beyond words.

"Yes… but by the time I found you again, I'd already had my fill and I wasn't interested in doing anything, so I left you be. And it has been only recently that you have begun being a pain in my side. Stopping me from killing humans, and then running to _Elder _Shanks."

"Don't make fun of Shanks! He's way better than you'll ever be!"

"What makes you think I want to be like him? I'm quite happy just being myself. True, after I kill you, red hair will probably snap and banish me, but, that just means I can roam the streets. I can feed at will, and I won't have to follow his ridiculous rules of meditation and idiotic ideas like that."

"Shanks' ideas are not idiotic!"

"How would you know!? You have barely been around four decades, and you presume to tell _me _that Shanks is not idiotic!?" and Kuro glared at Luffy for a moment before smirking again, "But, cling to your little whims and wishes and made up realities. You won't be around much longer anyway." and Kuro began to advance upon Luffy.

---

Nami hurried along the corridor towards the main room where she knew Shanks and Robin would be. Elder Smoker was always in his room, and rarely came out. Sanji trotted after her, tailed by Usopp. Her female and more maternal instincts were telling her that something was wrong. Luffy was in danger. She knew it. Usopp had even admitted that he could recognise something in the air. That had been enough for Nami, and she was off, speeding towards Shanks' room to ask if they could go out and find Luffy and make sure he was okay. Bursting into the main room, Nami paused as Shanks and Robin looked up at her.

"Luffy's in trouble!" She said instantly. Shanks glanced at Robin, who bowed her head slightly and closed her eyes for a moment. Shanks nodded.

"We know. I sensed it ages ago, and Robin has identified that he is near the end of the abandoned area."

"Is he alright?" Usopp piped up, skirting around Sanji and entering the room as well. Shanks sighed.

"I don't know. I'm preparing to leave in a moment. Smoker?" and the burly man stepped out from a corner of the room, his arms crossed across his chest.

"What?"

"Look after everyone down here. If Kuro comes down…" and he sighed, "Tell him he's banished."

"What!? That bastard will run rampant in the streets! He'll kill everything and everyone. There won't be any humans left!"

"I thought you didn't like humans." Shanks stated with an amused smirk. Smoker frowned at him darkly.

"I don't… but they don't deserve to die at his hands. Not to mention he could start his own army with them. He knows how to convert."

"I know all that Smoker, but, he can't stay down here and we can't lock him up. He'll just escape." and Shanks stood and used his arm to pull a black cloak over his shoulders. Robin moved to stand beside him and she turned as Nami bit her bottom lip. Smiling, Robin moved over to her.

"We'll find captain-san, don't worry." she assured her. Nami smiled and then Shanks and Robin left the room. She looked over at Smoker, who glared back at her.

"What are you looking at?" he grouched. Nami smirked.

"You know, you still owe me fifty dollars from the other night when you bought more cigars."

"Fifty!? The cigars only cost ten fucking dollars!"

"You forgot the interest." and she swept from the room. Sanji grinned and danced after her.

"Nami-san is so wonderful when she's hitting up grumpy old men for money!" he cooed.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun."

"Mellorine!" and they faded into the distance. Usopp blinked at Smoker, whose lip twitched. The long nosed inventor bolted from the room, and Smoker let a satisfied smile leak across his face. He loved winding that boy up. He was so easy to scare.

---

Shanks paused as an arm bloomed in front of them and opened the door slowly. Robin smirked at him and Shanks chuckled lightly. Robin was a very useful and courteous person and Shanks was glad she was an Elder. A lot of the new Vampires looked up to her, and she was a good mother figure. It helped their transition from living to undead.

Moving through the door with a purposeful stride, Shanks looked around with narrowed eyes and then moved off at a swift pace towards the trees by the river. Robin hurried after him, also watching the same spot Shanks was. Two figures lay on the ground, while a taller one stood over them, blades pointed straight at the smallest figure's neck.

"Kuro!" Shanks barked. The tall figure stopped and turned to face him, eyes glowing out of control and a sadistic smile on his face. Moonlight hit the blades fully as he turned and blood was seen dripping down them, while small splatters were upon Kuro's face and clothes.

"You can't stop me." Kuro hissed before turning as something tapped him on the shoulder. A disembodied arm slammed him across the face and sent him to the ground. Sitting up and rubbing his jaw, Kuro laughed.

"A punch from a woman will not stop me." he snapped. Shanks raised an eyebrow as a foot appeared from the ground between Kuro's legs, and then kicked straight up. The elder's eyes went wide and then he slumped to the side, curling in on himself while Shanks laughed uproariously.

"Well done Robin."

"Thankyou Elder-san." and she inclined her head slightly, barely containing a smirk. Quickly bending over the smallest figure, Shanks was surprised to see Luffy blinking back up at him.

"Is Zoro okay?" the boy asked. Shanks blinked.

"The green haired guy?" and Luffy nodded. Glancing to the side, Shanks took in the green haired man and studied him for a second before smiling, "Yeah. He's alright." Luffy grinned.

"Good!" and then he passed out onto the grass. Shanks smiled at the young vampire before turning to Kuro with blazing eyes.

"Elder Kuro." He snapped. The offender glared up at him, still clutching at his crotch. Shanks raised an eyebrow at the scene before him before frowning deeply, "You're banished. Never allowed to come back into the Hall, never allowed to associate with any of the Vampire's living in the Hall, and never allowed to come anywhere near this place again." Kuro glared at him, before a sadistic smile crept across his face.

"Good! I don't have to put up with you anymore!" and he began laughing as Shanks bent down and lifted Luffy over his shoulder with one hand. Robin sprouted another arm, punched Kuro again and then smiled at him sympathetically.

"Good luck Neko-san." she mocked and then sprouted some feet beneath Zoro and began walking him after Shanks. Kuro glared at both their backs until they disappeared within the confines of the Hall before he began laughing. Now, he was free.

---

**-Flashback - 22nd April, 1967-**

"_Just stay still." a growling voice whispered near his ear._

"_But… I know what you are! I don't wanna be like that!" and his voice trailed off into a pained groan as something pierced the skin of his neck. It was pain beyond pain, and it made his knees weak. There was no escape now. Maybe he should have listened earlier. _

_---_

_Blinking his eyes blearily, the boy began to wake. All his senses began hammering inside him, sound, smell, taste... everything and it made his head reel for a moment before he was finally able to calm everything down again. When he had managed to get a hold on his head again, he began to hear things properly._

"_Is he alright Elder-san?" a soft voice asked._

"_Yeah. He's alright. Close call though. Kuro almost killed him." another voice replied, this one a male voice and stronger. _

"_Poor boy." another female voice said, this one not soft, but more… like she would demand something of you by sweet persuasion. _

"_Did you read the paper today navigator-san? They've noticed he's missing." and then the boy woke up fully and looked around. Three people were nearby, while another was standing by a wall. _

"_Hmph, took them long enough. Kuro bit him a day or so ago." this one was male again, but low and harsh. Kind of dangerous almost. _

"_Hey! He's awake!" the second female voice commented. The one the first female had referred to as Navigator-san. Suddenly, an orange haired girl leant over him, orangey-brown eyes fixing on his face as she smiled. _

"_Hey, come on Nami. Let him alone." the first male voice, Elder-san, commented from the background. Nami frowned and leaned away. _

"_It's not like I'm going to give him heart attack." she muttered. _

"_Well…" Elder-san began and the orange haired woman turned to him, a fist forming in the air before her._

"_Well what?" _

"_Nothing!" Elder-san cried, half laughing and half scared out of his mind. The female, whose name actually turned out to be Nami, stalked towards Elder-san. _

"_Where am I?" the boy asked, sitting up. Finally everything came into view. The orange haired woman was pummelling a red haired man into the wall while he laughed and cowered at the same time. There was a black haired woman sitting on a table nearby, her legs crossed. She smiled at him and waved lightly._

"_Your name?" she asked. The boy grinned. He was quite happy to tell her his name… now… what was it again? Blinking as he thought, he scratched at his head. His first name had something to do with... an animal. What was it...?_

"_Oh yeah! Monkey D Luffy! That's right!" and he nodded enthusiastically. _

"_No way!" Nami cried, turning around and blinking at him. Luffy turned to her and nodded again._

"_Yep, that's me." he replied. Nami's eyes slid to the wall behind Luffy, and following her gaze, he found that there was a burly man standing there in the shadows, two red pinpricks of light the only thing really visible other than an outline and even that was kind of vague. _

"_Whoa… how about that Elder Shanks?" and Nami smirked as Shanks hid a smile behind his hand. _

"_Oh shut it, Red." the man by the wall snarled. _

"_Uh uh. Don't forget… I have pictures." Nami replied in a sing-song voice. The man stiffened and then he growled, stepping out of the shadows and pointing a thick finger at Nami. _

"_You, girl, are a little bitch."  
_

"_Hey!" Shanks called angrily, "Language Smoker." _

"_Yeah, Elder Smoker, I'm sure there would be some people very eager to get a hold of some of those pictures."_

"_Alright! Nami, quit teasing Smoker, Smoker, close your door next time." Shanks commented, smirking as he finished the sentence. The burly man with two cigars in his mouth, glowed almost as red as the cigars before spinning around and glaring at the opposite wall. Luffy watched all this with a sort of half smile, half confused look. He really wasn't sure about these people, but they seemed kind of cool. Nami turned to Luffy and winked._

"_Elder Smoker knows your big brother." she quipped. By the wall, Smoker's shoulders hunched and a growl escaped his mouth. Nami chuckled. Luffy blinked. He had an older brother? Blinking as he tried to think back, Luffy discovered that everything before he had woken up, was a big blank. There was some flashes of blurred colours and feelings, but nothing more than that. _

"_His name is Portgas D Ace, and he's been a member since the beginning of the year." Shanks explained, noticing the bemused look on Luffy's face._

"_Member? Member of what?" and Luffy thought for a second before his eyes went wide and then his mouth opened in a wide grin to reveal canine teeth that were very slowly beginning to grow out. Nami raised an eyebrow at the woman on the table, who tilted her head and watched Luffy carefully with narrowed eyes. _

"_Is he a member of some big club or something that's really cool and they get to do really cool things and if so, can I be a member too?" Luffy babbled out. Shanks raised an eyebrow before chuckling lightly._

"_No. Don't mean to burst your bubble, Luffy but, we're Vampires. And… Ace is a Vampire too." he replied. Luffy blinked before looking at them all and then chuckling._

"_You're funny!"  
_

"_He's serious young one." the woman from the table said, her eyes still narrowed curiously. Luffy blinked._

"_Vampires?" and then he blinked for a second before a quick flash of memory came back. Pain in his neck, like two needles and a harsh voice telling him to stay still. Shaking his head, Luffy pulled away the white shirt he was wearing at the collar, and inspected the two marks on his neck. Blinking, he slowly turned back to the group._

"_Umm, Robin, would you mind getting something for him to eat before he… you know." Shanks ordered._

"_Very well Elder-san." the woman on the table replied before getting down lightly and moving out of the room. Nami stepped forward and inspected Luffy before nodding._

"_His teeth are getting longer, and his eyes are going all glazy." she commented._

"_Smart ass." Smoker mumbled from where he was sulking, but trying not to show it. _

"_Watch it." Nami growled, pointing a finger at Smoker's back, "Or I'll tell Ace what a cry baby you're being." and she smirked as Smoker glared at her again. _

"_Nami…" Shanks sighed, shaking his head. She grinned at him._

"_Yes Elder?" she asked sweetly. Shanks laughed._

"_You're unreal."_

"_Of course I am." and she winked, causing Shanks to laugh some more. Luffy suddenly felt something bubbling up inside him. Something strange. He could feel something changing, and his eyes were looking at the world differently. Almost like it was lighter than it actually was. Brighter. Giving his eyes a rub, Luffy began to breathe heavily. _

"_Hey, take it easy kid." Smoker's voice said. Luffy half turned towards him before he growled and then felt the irresistible urge to bite, to kill. He needed to scratch, and maim. _

"_Uh oh." Shanks' voice commented, "Robin! It'd be kind of helpful if you could hurry up!" Luffy jumped up from the bed and panted heavily, looking around the room and spotting a good target._

"_Elder Shanks… I think you're on the menu." Nami commented as Luffy fixed his eyes permanently on Shanks' form._

"_Very funny Nami." Shanks replied dryly. Luffy's ears throbbed with all the talking and he put his hands over them and winced before launching himself forward and scratching, biting and snarling all at the same time. Shanks dodged out of the way easily, his face becoming stern._

"_Calm down Luffy!" he ordered. Luffy shook his head and stood up from where he had hit the wall before throwing out an arm and stretching it towards Shanks as hard as he could. _

"_Whoa!" Nami cried. _

"_S clan!" Smoker growled. Shanks dodged the arm and frowned before disappearing and then reappearing behind Luffy and karate chopping him in the back of the neck. Luffy gasped and then fell forward, still conscious but half crawling as he tried to get up again. Shanks sighed._

"_Sorry little guy, but, you're not going to eat me." he stated. Luffy growled like a cat, eyes glowing viciously. _

"_He's so… violent." Nami commented._

"_Yeah…" Shanks muttered in response. _

"_You don't… No. Not a little brat like that." Smoker growled, watching Luffy carefully. The boy's head snapped up, and this time he fixed his gaze upon Smoker. The former Marine captain raised an eyebrow and then sighed as Luffy launched himself at him._

"_You know, that's exactly what your brother did." he muttered as Luffy flew straight through his smoky form and into the wall. Shanks and Nami winced. _

"_Ouch…" Nami muttered as Luffy got back up again and shook his head before diving back at Smoker again and going straight through him and falling to the ground. Smoker smirked. _

"_Taisa-san, are you trying to kill him?" Robin asked as she walked in, smirking at Smoker's knee-jerk reaction at the 'taisa' comment. Ace never stopped calling Smoker that. The man had finally had enough, and he stalked out of the room, muttering some rather creative curses. Luffy had gotten back to his feet by now, and was setting his sights on the newcomer, Robin. _

"_None of the others reacted this violently. He's just… feral." Shanks muttered, watching as Luffy scratched at Robin from where she had sprouted two extra arms and was holding him back. Suddenly, something very strange happened, Luffy's nails extended even further, almost to half the length of Kuro's blades, and they turned red. _

"_Elder Shanks! What's happening?" Nami squeaked as Luffy's teeth turned red as well. His eyes stopped glowing, and turned red as well. _

"_I… don't know. Robin, quick, give him what he needs." Shanks ordered. Robin nodded and then pulled a piece of raw meat from a bag and threw it straight at Luffy's mouth. The boy latched onto it with impossibly sharp teeth… and bit straight through it. At the same time, Robin's concentration left and her arms came down. _

_Nails scratched deeply into her shoulder and she winced before Luffy scurried away and hid in the corner, happy as a bunny as he munched on the meat. Everything that had begun happening, reverted back and Luffy became a normal, innocent, seventeen year old boy again. Nami looked towards Shanks, who was watching Luffy with curious eyes. _

"_Maybe…" he murmured to himself. _

"_Elder Robin!" Nami squeaked and hurried over to her. Shanks shook his head. Not possible. It just… was not possible. _

---

"Hey, Luffy, come on little buddy." a voice called above him. Blinking, Luffy came around and stared up into concerned dark red, almost black eyes.

"Sh-Shanks?" he muttered, speech slightly slurred before he shook his head and sat up, "Whoa. What happened?" There was a relieved sigh from nearby and then Nami appeared at his shoulder.

"You frightened the hell out of me. Do that again, and I'll kill you myself… and take your money." and then she walked out of the infirmary with a haughty sniff, Sanji trailing after her. Luffy blinked and then looked at Shanks.

"Sanji's attached to her."

"He never lets her alone. But that's how it is I guess. Usually the one who hypnotizes them, is the one they'll eventually fall in love with. Nami just won't accept that." and Shanks chuckled.

"Ah! But Kuro…" and he stopped there, the very thought making him feel disgusted.

"Oh, I said usually. Not always." Shanks said quickly, realizing what Luffy was saying.

"And Usopp…"

"You didn't hypnotize him, you whacked him over the head because he wouldn't stop screaming and then dragged him here." and Shanks smirked. Luffy laughed.

"Oh yeah!" and he continued chuckling before stopping short and looking around, "Where's Zoro?"

"The green haired guy?" Shanks asked again, same as he had last night. Luffy nodded, "He's alright. He's awake and exploring the area. Either that… or he got lost." and Shanks shook his head. Luffy chuckled.

"I think he got lost. His direction sense isn't too good. Did… did Kuro get him?"

"No. You saved him and Kuro's banished, so, he won't cause any more trouble… hopefully. But Zoro, he's still human… but I'd suggest going to find him. I think some of the vampires might get a little… hungry at the sight of a human running around." and he winked before walking off. Luffy blinked before what Shanks had just said, began to sink in.

"Ah! Zoro!" and he jumped off the bed and ran out of the room, pausing only to grab up Hat and place it on his head, "Zoro!" and he ran down a corridor, knocking Usopp out of the way and then nearly trampling a female Vampire he didn't know. Apologising to her, he ran past and continued calling out to his green haired friend. Skidding around a corner, he slammed into a solid back and then knocked both of them to the ground. Blinking as he recognised the green hair, Luffy sat up on the back's of Zoro's legs.

"Zoro!" he chirped, "You're okay!"

"… I was. And then you found me." he commented. Luffy chuckled, not getting what Zoro was talking about.

"Why aren't you getting up?"

"Because… there's a lump on my legs." Zoro replied dryly. Luffy blinked.

"Where?"

"Get off!" Zoro yelled and Luffy jumped before grinning sheepishly and getting off Zoro's legs.

"Sorry Zoro."

"Yeah whatever, just don't do it again." and he stood. Luffy grinned.

"Okay!" and then he looked around as two Vampires had stopped and were eyeing Zoro a little hungrily. Luffy glared at them.

"No! Get lost!" he hissed, letting his eyes glow as a warning. The two were only young, maybe a decade old, and they jumped and scurried away. Zoro turned to see what Luffy was talking about, but the boy just grinned at him. Shrugging, Zoro stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So, this is where you live huh?" he asked. Luffy grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "I've also noticed the fact that I seem fully heeled."

"Oh, that. Robin probably did that. She's really good at that! But… she says we need to find a doctor." and Luffy shrugged, "I think we need some sort of Banjo player or something." he mumbled. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Banjo player?"

"Yeah! Or some sort of Musician! That'd be so cooooool!" and he clapped his hands excitedly. Zoro sighed. Well wasn't this kid just a dandy representation of clinically insane. Luffy sighed before shaking his head.

"Anyway, Robin can heal humans in an instant… but for some reason she can't with Vampires. But she doesn't need to. We heal by ourselves!" and he grinned widely, once again showing off those dangerous canine teeth. Zoro narrowed his eyes in interest.

"Really?"

"Yep! Cool, huh?"

"…yeah."

"Come on, come and see my room!"

"Oka-" but Zoro was cut off as Luffy grabbed his arm and began dragging him down the hallway. Looks like he was going to see Luffy's room, whether he liked it or not.

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**He he he. Poor Zoro. He goes through so much with Luffy. If you didn't get the title of this chapter, it was supposed to be about the fact that Zoro and Luffy both get injured all the time. Or at the same time. Or because of some sort of fight with Fairies. yeah. Something like that. If ya didn't get it, well... just ignore the chapter title then. **

**Reviews pwease! Or a Luffy vampire will invade your house and eat all of your meat. Muwahahaha!**


	7. S Clan

**Now, I realize Sanji hasn't had an enormous amount of screen time, but that's because he's been going through a stage of development. He's getting used to everything, and is not himself. He's just... there basically. Clings to the first person who basically acknowledges him. like a little puppy. So yeah. Just thought I'd let you all know. Don't be deterred! The Sanji quirks shall begin soon! -grin-**

**Potato chips Crisps (-sigh-)**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 7: S Clan**_

Luffy bounced into his room and then dragged Zoro in after him. The swordsman was feeling a little dizzy by now, having been pulled around all these different corridors, and then accidentally whacked into one of the walls on the way.

"This is my room!" Luffy announced, as if Zoro didn't know. It was a dinky little room, but it was alright. A double bed with red and black chequered covers. It had a canopy too. Glow in the dark stars were stuck all over the ceiling and then there was a painting on the wall of a pirate ship, rocking on a violent ocean during an electrical storm. It wasn't bad either.

"What's that about?" he asked. Luffy didn't look like the sort of kid who would like that stuff.

"Oh! I can vaguely remember when I was human, that I wanted to be a Pirate captain. But then I became a Vampire. Shanks said I could still have become a Pirate, but…" and he trailed off, "Kuro made me stay here. And Smoker. Smoker said Pirates are rats, and scum of the sea and Kuro just didn't want me out of his sight."

"Umm…?" Zoro muttered. Luffy blinked and then smiled.

"Sorry! Smoker is one of the Elders. He's nice, but really really grumpy. Shanks is the oldest Elder. He's the leader. He's so coool." and Luffy grinned.

"The red haired one with one arm?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Isn't he cool?"

"Seems alright." by now, Zoro had sat down on the edge of Luffy's bed, while the boy had curled up on the floor, his ankles cross but his knees spread wide as his arms were wrapped around them. He grinned at Zoro.

"He's great. Kuro used to be an Elder, but after last night, he's not one anymore. Shanks banished him. And good thing too." Luffy said, frowning. Zoro blinked.

"Why?"

"Because he was a bastard! He tried to kill you!"

"Me?"

"Yeah! Cos…" and Luffy trailed off, closing his mouth and then blinking down at the carpet, "Cos you're my friend… and Kuro kills all my human friends."

"…oh." Zoro muttered, not feeling so confident about being down here now.

"Don't worry! He's not allowed to come down here anymore!" Luffy assured him. Zoro didn't want to admit it, but that gave him some major relief. Luffy yawned and blinked around the room blearily.

"Sun's up. Bed time." he muttered before jumping onto the bed and crawling under the covers. Within seconds, the boy was asleep. Zoro blinked and then sighed. He had two options… staying here and sleeping, or going out and exploring this place… Well, knowing his luck, he'd probably get lost and then get eaten by some vampire.

Well, that thought didn't exactly appeal to him, so he glanced at Luffy and then hesitantly lay down on the bed, turning on his side and facing away from Luffy. Within seconds, he was asleep the same as Luffy. Shanks appeared in the doorway and was about to say something before he spotted the two and smiled. He would let them rest.

---

Nami blinked tiredly as Sanji slept, his head laid on her knees. She had gotten past the whole 'you're an annoying pain in my ass… buzz off!' stage, and was now just resigning herself to whatever Sanji wanted. If he wanted to follow her, then she let him. If he wanted to coo at her, she let him.

Basically, Sanji had free run to do pretty much anything... Well, not everything, but most things. But he stuck to Nami like glue, just like Luffy had stuck to Shanks, and Usopp had stuck to Robin. But Shanks and Robin were Elders, and could handle it. Nami had a short fuse and tended to snap pretty easily. Yawning widely, she let her head fall back against the head board of the bed.

"How's he doing?" a soft voice asked, and Nami looked up with tired eyes to see Robin standing in the doorway.

"Fine. But, I hope he grows up soon. I'm so tired." and she yawned again as if to prove her point. Robin chuckled.

"Don't worry navigator-san, he'll go back to being normal soon."

"Except for the fact that he'll be a Vampire." and she chuckled before shifting Sanji's head slightly so she could move her legs.

"Yes. I wonder if he'll be a fighter, correspondence or recruiter."

"Probably a fighter. He's a great kicker. But he doesn't punch or anything. He's a chef. I don't know how he's going to cope with not cooking."

"Oh. Well, maybe he could clean up the old kitchen down the hall, and he could cook in there."

"But we don't eat normal food."

"We can. We don't need it, but we _can_ eat it, navigator-san." Robin explained. Nami smiled.

"I think he'd like that." and she yawned again. Robin smiled.

"He'll be alright. Make sure to get some sleep." and then the Elder walked out. Nami sighed. The way she was going, she wouldn't be sleeping until tomorrow. And tomorrow seemed a long time away. Shifting her legs, Sanji let out a small moan. Smirking, Nami stilled herself again.

"You're not so bad Sanji-kun…" she murmured, watching him intently.

---

Shanks pored over Robin's book, reading the paragraph he had just found, over and over again.

'_When the sun and moon are in the sky together…' _and there was a note written beside it in Robin's hand and it read 'Solar Eclipse'. _'Then the true Vampire and the true Fairy will be revealed. Until then, they will be unknown. A war will be started on the day that the Vampires and Fairies first come into existence, and it is because of this that they will war, for the true Vampire and the true Fairy will then choose the strongest from either side, and fight for as long as the sun and moon are one. Whoever wins… will end the war, and peace will reign for three hundred years, before everything will start all over again.' _Shanks blinked at it. But… he was sure Luffy was the one. He had to be. The passage said they would be unknown. That didn't figure right.

"Maybe the passage meant that they would be unknown to themselves." Robin's soft voice said as she entered the room. Shanks blinked. That would make sense… he guessed.

"Mm…" he mumbled as a response before reading over it again, "Solar Eclipse. When is that?"

"Twenty second of April this year." Robin replied. Shanks blinked. That was the day that Luffy had first become a vampire four decades ago.

"Then…"

"Definitely." Robin insisted a little eagerly. Shanks smiled. Robin had been waiting for this for a long time, and he knew how anxious she was to see it, be a part of it.

"I just hope the little guy is up to it." he muttered.

---

Luffy stretched as he awoke and looked around wearily. It was obviously night time again, and he made to turn over when his shoulder bumped something. Craning his neck over his shoulder, Luffy saw Zoro lying there, his back to him and he grinned before turning over and grinning at the back of Zoro's head. Reaching up a hand, Luffy extended a finger and poked Zoro in the middle of his back… hard.

The man stretched his shoulders back, and pressed his chest forward in an attempt to get away from the poke. Grinning widely, Luffy had to contain his giggles so he didn't wake Zoro up, and destroy all his fun. Reaching out his hand again, he poked this time, in the back of Zoro's head. Next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor, looking up as Zoro smirked smugly down at him.

"Don't wake people up." he said. Luffy laughed and sat up, wondering just how Zoro had done that.

"You're so quick Zoro! Like a Vampire!" and he giggled.

"I am not a Vampire." Zoro returned, sitting up and rubbing blearily at his eyes. He really hadn't gotten as much sleep as he had thought he had.

"Na Zoro, I know that. I was just saying." and then Luffy stood up and stretched, "Breakfast." he announced and moved towards the door. Zoro's ears perked at the word, and he swung out of the bed and hurried after the boy, completely forgetting the fact that Luffy was a Vampire.

So, Zoro returned to Luffy's room about five minutes later (the breakfast room was just down the corridor, but Zoro had gotten lost) with a pale face and a queasy stomach. He sincerely hoped that he didn't become a Vampire one day. That food looked seriously disgusting. Luffy came trotting in after him a little while later, wincing at the look of disgust on Zoro's face.

"Sorry Zoro, guess I forgot to warn you."

"No… it's okay. I should have guessed. Just forgot you were a Vampire was all."

"How could you forget?" and Luffy pointed at his teeth. Zoro chuckled.

"I don't know. You just seem more human than Vampire." Zoro replied. Luffy grinned.

"Cool! Thanks!" and he jumped once on the spot. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"…sure." Luffy grinned and then pointed out of the room.

"Let's go! I'll take you to see Shanks and he might have some real food for you!"

"…right." and Zoro got to his feet and moved out the doorway before pausing in the hall and staring as Nami and Sanji walked towards him. Luffy looked at them before grinning and running forward.

"Has he grown up yet?" Luffy asked excitedly. Nami smirked.

"Get outta the way ya little crap kid." Sanji snarled. Luffy blinked and then frowned, standing up on tip-toe and scrutinizing Sanji's face carefully.

"You were better hypnotized." Luffy commented sniffily, turning away and crossing his arms. Nami sighed.

"Sanji, this is Luffy. Luffy, Sanji. Sanji, be nice to Luffy… or at least not so rude." she chastised. Sanji blinked and then bowed slightly to Luffy.

"Sorry." he muttered simply. Nami smiled.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun."

"Ah! Anything for you my wonderful, sweet, lovely-"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. It was annoying the first twenty times you did it." she stated, glancing at Sanji purposefully. The blonde blinked and then smiled, his new teeth glimmering in the light.

"Of course Nami-san." and then he turned… and saw Zoro. His eyes narrowed and he seemed to be recalling something within his mind. A name, or something. Zoro's confused blinking turned into a narrow eyed glare.

"Marimo!" Sanji suddenly yelled and Luffy blinked as the blonde stalked towards Zoro, swung a leg back and then slammed the green haired teen into the opposite wall. Luffy blinked some more.

"Umm… why is he trying to kill Zoro?"

"I don't know. He's had a grudge against Zoro ever since they were little. He told me so a few weeks back. Apparently, Zoro stole his kitchen knives that he got for Christmas, and buried them in the dirt. Sanji never found them."

"Oh… Well that's silly."

"Oh it's not just that. They grew up together, and for some absurd reason, they find they have to fight all the time." Nami explained. Luffy tilted his head to the side.

"Maybe they wanna see who's stronger?" he suggested and then grinned, "Like me and Ace!" and then Zoro commenced slamming a fist into Sanji's jaw and sending the blonde reeling backwards.

"Umm… I think they're more violent." Nami added.

"Maybe we should stop them…I think Shanks said something about damaging more walls or something. I can't remember." Luffy commented. Nami chuckled.

"Sanji!" she snapped suddenly.

"Zoro!" Luffy called. Both men stopped fighting and turned to look at their callers. Sanji pranced to Nami's side while Zoro stuck his hands in his pockets, and taking in deep breaths, stalked over to stand next to Luffy.

"I'm sorry Nami-swaaan! That shit head was obstructing our way." Sanji cooed. Nami sighed.

"That's okay Sanji. Come on." and she continued down the hallway. Sanji craned his neck over his shoulder and sent a pointed glare at Zoro, which the swordsman happily returned… with the excess of giving Sanji the finger. Luffy giggled merrily to himself as he turned the opposite way to what Nami and Sanji had gone.

"Elder Shanks!" Luffy cried as he ran into the main room. Zoro followed a little less enthusiastically. No one was to be found in the main room, and Luffy pouted forcefully as he looked around.

"Elder Robin?" he called. Still no response.

"Elder Smoker?" nothing, "Anyone?" and a door opened off to the left and a small boy with pink hair and large, blue wire framed glasses on.

"Koby!" Luffy cried enthusiastically and dived towards the boy. Koby nearly had a heart attack, until he saw who it was and then he smiled and adjusted his glasses.

"Hi Luffy!" he replied before looking down and closing the book that had been in his hands.

"Have you seen any of the Elders?" Luffy asked. Koby blinked.

"I think I saw Smoker in his room, and… Robin was in the library when I came from there and I have no idea where Shanks is." the boy replied.

"We'll go and see Robin!" Luffy announced, turning and looking at Zoro. Koby looked around Luffy and blinked at Zoro for a moment before his eyes widened.

"He's a human!" he cried. Luffy grinned.

"Yep! Isn't he cool?"

"…cool?" Koby muttered, glancing at Zoro again as the swordsman yawned and studied the room in a rather bored fashion, "He looks kinda scary to me."

"Nah, Zoro's cool." Luffy whispered and winked. Koby blinked at him and then sighed.

"You take too many risks for my liking." and the pink haired boy scurried away. Luffy laughed heartily before turning back to Zoro and beckoning him through a large wooden door. They moved down a red velvet carpet that led to a pair of ornate doors that Robin had designed herself. Zoro rose an eyebrow at them before Luffy pushed one open and walked in.

"Elder Robin!" he called. Zoro winced at the echo and then dug a finger into his ear and twisted it around.

"Maybe yelling in here isn't a good idea." he voiced. Luffy blinked at him.

"Why?" and Zoro had to sigh.

"Never mind." Guess he would have to put up with that annoying echo.

"Over here captain-san!" a voice called, not nearly as loudly as Luffy's, but it was hear able. Robin was sitting at a table, a pile of books to one side beside her. Luffy grinned and hurried over.

"Robiiin, do we have any normal food that Zoro can have?" Luffy asked in his sweetest voice. Robin smirked at the boy's tone.

"Elder Robin, Luffy." She reprimanded, using his name as a threat. It must have gotten through because Luffy blinked and then grinned sheepishly, "Yes indeed we have some. You need to go through to the old kitchen, and then look inside the cupboards there. I know there's some human food there from when we had our last visitor." she replied, smirking at Zoro.

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at her, and made sure to keep his distance. He didn't trust that smirk, or that face, one bit. She seemed a little… too mysterious really. Well, for him anyway. Luffy seemed to trust her alright. The boy turned around and bolted back towards the door.

"Goodbye Elder Robin!" he called as he reached the door.

"Goodbye captain-san, goodbye human-san." Robin said. Zoro glanced at her, and then hurried after Luffy. When they had got back out into the hall and closed the door, Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"Why does she call you captain-san?" he asked.

"It's Robin's way of speaking. She calls me captain-san because I wanted to be a pirate captain, and she humours me for it. Nami is navigator because she can find her way around _anything _and then come back here, and map it out. Kuro used to be Neko-san because he was like a cat, and Shanks is Elder-san because he's our leader."

"Wow…"

"Usopp is long-nose-san… because he has a long nose, marksman-san, sniper-san, or liar-san because he has an incredible sense of aim and he also tells really tall stories. But they're funny. Oh, and he's an inventor! He invents all the things that we use down here." Luffy explained before going into a big lecture about all of Usopp's cool inventions.

_Why did I ask? Why? _Zoro thought miserably as they wandered along. Finally, Luffy turned into an old and abandoned room, and Zoro raised an eyebrow at the safety of it. Surely it was dangerous in there? It had to be! Look at all the rotted beams and the water stained walls and furniture. Luffy bent down next to a cupboard that looked (surprisingly) in perfect shape. Opening it, Luffy peered inside and then grinned.

"We have umm… some packets of chips, annnd, some tins of spaghetti, annnd, umm… hey, a rat!" and Luffy pulled it out by it's tail and then put it down on the floor, "Bye Mr Rat!" he cried as the ball of angrily squeaking black fur, made it's hurried way towards a hole in the wall. Zoro couldn't help but feel a little disgusted. Luffy then went back to the cupboard "There's some biscuits in here. So, what do you want?" and Luffy looked back over his shoulder at Zoro.

"Anything that isn't chewed by rats." Zoro replied as his stomach gave a particularly loud growl. Grinning, Luffy pulled out everything he had mentioned and Zoro blinked.

"Nothing's been chewed by rats?"

"Ha, of course there's things that have been chewed by rats, but I'm not going to give you food that has been all… yuckified." Luffy replied. Zoro blinked at the made up word and then smirked.

"Thanks." and he picked up a bag of some original potato chips. Luffy grinned and then led the way out of the room again. Zoro followed silently, as he chewed on the chips (which were surprisingly good) and looked around. Gulping, Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"What's this place called?" he asked. Luffy turned to him.

"The Hall."

"I know this is a hall."

"No, the whole place is called the 'Hall'." and Luffy chuckled.

"Why?"

"I don't know. Shanks just couldn't think of something better I guess." and he shrugged. Zoro chuckled to himself, feeling a lot better now that he had had some food. Brushing his hands off and crumpling the empty chip packet, he looked around for some sort of rubbish bin, and spotting one, he moved over to it and threw the bag in. Luffy sighed and sat down on a bench, yawning to himself. He felt really tired for some reason. It wasn't day time, no where near it. Maybe he had delayed going to bed today too much. Zoro sat down beside him and yawned as well. Both of them were tired apparently.

"So… you said something about Dragon?" Zoro asked unsurely. His memory wasn't the best. Luffy blinked at him before laughing and turning slightly away so his hair shadowed his eyes.

"I have a brother! He's my big brother Ace!" Luffy replied, cheerfully changing the subject. Zoro frowned slightly, but then decided it was best to avoid the subject.

"Oh… how old is he?" Zoro asked, trying to strike up a conversation. For some reason, seeing Luffy miserable made him feel miserable as well. Maybe it was the smile, Luffy's smile seemed to infect everyone around him.

"Twenty-… one! And he works corsespon- correpons- he's a spy!" and forgetting his mistake almost instantly, Luffy jumped from the bench, put one hand on his hip and the other in his pocket. Squaring his shoulders, Luffy grinned with a fangy smile that still made Zoro just a tad uneasy.

"My big brother has an awesome S clan power! He can become fire, and manipulate fire! It's so awesome!" and the boy nattered on and on about his brother while Zoro just watched, a smirk stealing over his features as Luffy cavorted about the room. Silently, Zoro wondered about this 'S clan' that Luffy kept going on about. And when Luffy began talking completely in code, Zoro decided he would ask.

"Luffy?"

"Yeah?" Luffy asked, pausing in his little dance to look at Zoro curiously.

"What's the S clan?"

"Ohhhh… sorry, forgot to explain that. S clan is short for Syndrome Clan! It's a strand of blood that only goes through some Vampires and totally skips others. And it can only… umm, _appear, _when the person becomes a Vampire. It will never appear as long as they are human, but they do get some fringe things. Like the fact that S clan members can't swim very well when human, and can't swim at all when a Vampire. Umm, they can avoid potentially dangerous situations using their powers without even knowing, and without anyone sort of seeing it when they're human, but when they're Vampire, everything becomes visible about the power." Luffy explained.

"So… it's like a disease?"

"No no no, it's only called Syndrome because no one knows what makes it happen. It's just… there. You're born with it. And for some reason, you need to be a Vampire for it to work properly. It's weird." and Luffy shrugged.

"So… how many vampires have this… Syndrome Clan thing?"

"Umm, well, there's Robin. She was the first. She can sprout any limp, anywhere, at anytime and as many as she wants… but the more she uses the harder it is for her." Luffy explained, "Smoker has it. He can turn into smoke and use smoke attacks and stuff and that's kind of cool. He was second to receive it, coming in after Kuro, who didn't have it but treated anyone with it, like dirt. He hated S clanners. Don't know why."

"Because he's a dickhead?" Zoro swore. Luffy grinned.

"Yep! Probably! Annnd, there's Ace. He can do the whole fire thing, me, I have rubber powers… annnd-"

"Wait, wait, you have it? You're a rubber man?"

"Uh huh! Watch!" and Luffy grabbed his cheek and stretched it outwards before letting it go and it snapped back into place… literally. He grinned proudly as Zoro stared and then there was a bang that echoed through out the place.

"I'm home!" a voice cried, "Little bro! Taisa!" and Luffy grinned wildly and turned around excitedly.

"Ace is home!" he cried.

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**Yay! Had to bring Ace in some time. What did you think of the explanation of the S clan? believable? -shrugs- hey, it's a Vampire fic, anything can happen. Lol. **


	8. Fairies

**Well, umm, this chapter turned out to be very... err, interesting. Yes, I believe that is the word. ehehehehe -sheepish grin- Bon appetite!**

**Thanks to Clarobell who urged me to do... well, you'll see. SmoAce in this chappie and that's not just a statement, but a warning. So, if you don't like, just skip! **

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 8: Fairies**_

Luffy bolted back through the corridors, aware of the fact that Zoro was following him as best he could, but with Luffy's speed, the swordsman was having a hard time of it.

"Ace!" Luffy crowed as he rounded a corner and spotted his brother standing by the still open door, one arm draped casually over Smoker's shoulder. Ignoring the fact that Smoker had an angry scowl on his face (there was nothing unusual about that) Luffy tackled his big brother and hugged him.

"Hey little bro." Ace replied as Luffy let him go and stepped back, "What's happening?"

"Nothing! Nami got a new recruit called Sanji, and I found a new friend!"

"Wow. Where is he?"

"Umm…" and Luffy turned back and looked over his shoulder to find Zoro was gone, "Oops." and he took off around the corner, "Zoro!" Ace sighed and shook his head before glancing around the corridor and then grabbing the front of Smoker's shirt and jerking him down to kiss him, but only received a bitten lip as a result. Pouting, Ace glared at Smoker.

"That's not a nice way to treat me." he said in a mock upset tone. Smoker raised an eyebrow.

"You shouldn't do that in public then." he replied in a harsh tone. Ace smirked wryly.

"We're not in public."

"Your brother'll be back in a minute." Smoker muttered as Ace ran a hand over his chest. Shrugging, Ace smirked as he managed to make Smoker shudder under the touch of his lightly sharpened nails.

"Damnit Portgas…" Smoker mumbled as Ace chuckled lightly under his breath.

"Come on… you missed me, didn't you?" he teased. Smoker frowned.

"Like a hole in the head…" he replied, trailing off in a stifled groan as Ace's hands heated slightly and warmed his skin.

"Incorrect answer." Ace whispered lightly in return, as he leant up next to Smoker's ear and chewed lightly at the lobe. Internally, Smoker was having a massive argument with himself. He honestly couldn't decide whether he wanted to turn around and smack the wretch across the room for being so insubordinate, or, whether he wanted to flip him over his shoulder and take him back to his room. This time, he would make sure to lock, bolt and put a chair in front of that damn door. Nami wasn't going to get in this time. He didn't have to decide for himself though.

---

"Here he is!" Luffy's voice cried and Ace jerked away, crossing his arms and putting on an amused smirk as Luffy tugged the green haired man around the corner.

"This is Zoro!" Luffy announced happily, stopping in front of the two. Smoker's lip curled and he looked away. He had warned Luffy, had tried to teach the kid that human's were trouble. And he knew Nami had even given Luffy a speech on how much trouble this one actually was. Smoker, didn't want anything to do with the moron. Ace smiled and inclined his head in a bow.

"Hello. Nice to meet you." he said politely. Zoro raised an eyebrow before looking down at Luffy, and then back at Ace.

"You're totally different from this one." Zoro commented, jerking his head at Luffy. The boy laughed, putting a hand on his head and hip and leaning back. Ace smirked at Luffy's reaction.

"A lot of people say that." he replied.

"Not that different. Both brats." Smoker mumbled under his breath so only Ace heard. The fire manipulator raised an eyebrow at him before reaching out a hand and slapping him on the shoulder, fire licking from between his fingers. Smoker raised an eyebrow in return as his shoulder turned to smoky air. Blinking, Zoro felt a little confused by this turn of events. Luffy was chuckling under his breath.

"And you're just a grumpy old man." Ace replied. Sighing, Luffy grabbed Zoro's hand and pulled him back down the hall. 

"Let's go and see the pond, eh Zoro?"

"Yeah… sure." Zoro replied as he was tugged along. Behind them, there was the sound of a slam and something like fire crackling. Luffy chuckled to himself as he walked along.

"What's with them?" he asked as Luffy led the way along a slowly descending corridor. The boy burst in laughter and turned to him, a wide grin on his face.

"Ace and Smoker are having sex!" he announced proudly before turning back to the floor in front of him and chuckling merrily. Well, if that didn't knock Zoro's shorts off! He stood there, blinking rapidly. It wasn't the fact that Ace and Smoker were a couple, apparently, it was the bluntness with which Luffy had stated it. Now, Zoro was a blunt guy. He didn't like dancing around a subject like a little pansy, but, not even he was that blunt. Luffy paused a little way down and looked back over his shoulder at him, grinning.

"Come on Zoro! If we don't hurry, you'll miss the ducks!" and he laughed happily, tilting his head backwards and resting a shoulder against the wall. Zoro, still trying to digest the information that had just been thrown at him, followed. Silence reigned between the two until they reached an underground cavern. A large, glittering blue pond lay in the centre of the cavern, reflecting the still full moon above.

Tonight was the last night of the full moon, and tomorrow, it would lose that bright, orangey-red glow that it had and revert to a white, milky colour. A few ducks were idly swimming along the glassy surface of the pond, leaving small ripples behind them. But it wasn't just ducks in here, there were heaps of other things as well. Zoro could have sworn he head a cat hiss at him as he entered the area, and there were a few little lizards and geckos crawling on the walls. Bushes, and small trees lined the walls while dirt path ringed the pond… and sitting on a bench on the other side, was a red haired man looking grim.

"SHANKS!" Luffy crowed and bolted for his idol. The man's head snapped up and he searched the area for a second before a smile crept across his lips when he saw Luffy running for him. Zoro stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around the area, not wishing to intrude. Though grouchy, grumpy, and quite often prone to sudden outbursts of anger, he wasn't totally impolite.

"Shanks, Shanks, Shanks! I found him! See?" and Luffy pointed excitedly at Zoro. The swordsman's head snapped up. Luffy had been looking for him? 

"Well done Luffy." Shanks replied, reaching out and scrubbing the boy's head affectionately, "I thought I heard Ace come back. Where is he?" 

"With Smoker!" Luffy replied cheekily and Shanks smirked.

"As long as they don't burn Smoker's room down… again." he muttered to Luffy, who chuckled.

"I think they're in Ace's room actually. Nami might get a little grumpy, cos I think they're making a lot of noise." Luffy mused, putting a finger on his chin in thought.

"Again." Shanks added to the end of Luffy's sentence, "But as long as they're happy… I guess." Luffy giggled to himself before grinning at Zoro, who raised an eyebrow as Luffy began beckoning him over.

"Zoro, this is Elder Shanks!" Luffy announced, pointing at Shanks as if Zoro couldn't see him. Shanks smiled and extended a hand. Zoro blinked at the fact that the man only had one arm, but then took the offered hand and shook it.

"We came to see the ducks!" Luffy explained. Zoro sighed. Why did this kid have to be so damn perky? Shanks nodded.

"Where's Chopper?" Shanks asked, looking around. Luffy shrugged.

"Probably outside. Hope he doesn't get hurt again. Smoker said if he did then he would be cut up for dinner." and then Luffy went into full on, panic mode, "We're not gonna kill Chopper are we!? He's so tiny, and he's so cool!"

"I don't know, he'd make some pretty good venison." Shanks replied, obviously winding Luffy up. The boy looked shocked for a moment before he pouted.

"Not funny Shanks."

"Who's Chopper?" Zoro inquired, breaking in through all the panic and laughing. Shanks and Luffy turned to him and Luffy grinned.

"He's a little blue nosed reindeer and he's the awesomest! He's so smart that he helps Robin sometimes when she's healing people." Luffy explained.

"He used to belong to two of our doctors, Hiraloc and Kuraeha, but, the Fairies killed them while they were out looking for Chopper one night." Shanks said. Luffy looked down at the ground miserably.

"And he wouldn't go near anyone for a long time. He wouldn't eat, drink, he was just… there." the boy said seriously, his voice melancholy, "And then one night, I was out walking and I found this pink hat lying near a tree, with a scribbled note inside." and Luffy smiled, "It was from Hiraloc and Kuraeha, and they were coming back to give it to him… before they died." Shanks nodded.

"Yeah. Now, he's pretty happy. Wears that hat all the time." and Luffy chuckled.

"He's so awesome!"

"Wait, wait, rewind. He's a reindeer?" Zoro asked incredulously, half laughing. Luffy tilted his head and frowned.

"Don't make fun of Chopper! You don't even know him!" the boy defended his little furry friend angrily. Zoro blinked at the intensity flashing in Luffy's eyes until Shanks stood up and stepped in front of Luffy, blocking the boy's eyes from Zoro.

"Stop that Luffy. It's not going to help the situation." Shanks reprimanded before looking over his shoulder at Zoro, "Don't insult people you don't know, Zoro."

"But… it's a reindeer!" Zoro replied, not getting the situation. The swordsman didn't even know what hit him. One moment Luffy was glaring at him over Shanks' shoulder and then he was sitting in the middle of the pond, a duck quacking angrily at him from nearby. Luffy was steaming on the shore and Shanks was shaking his head, laughing as he did so.

"I warned you." he said by way of defence. Zoro glared at the pair of them as he got back up again, waving a hand at the duck that was now pecking his leg. Luffy glared right back, unafraid, before turning on his heel and stomping out. Shanks sighed and then turned back to Zoro as the swordsman trudged out of the pond again.

"The hell is his problem?" Zoro muttered, knowing the answer but not willing to admit that it was _his _fault he had wet underpants. Shanks raised an eyebrow.

"Luffy gets very uptight when people talk about his friends the wrong way. Let him alone for a while, he'll cool off." 

"Like hell. I'm leaving." Zoro snarled, making for the exit and pulling a goldfish from the inside of his shirt. Shanks shook his head and disappeared, reappearing a second later in front of Zoro.

"Come on Zoro, just listen to me for a minute." Shanks asked, not wanting to impose his will on Zoro, but trying to get the green haired teen to at least stop for a moment. Zoro frowned and crossed his arms, body language expressing that he had no desire to stand here, in wet pants, and listen to Shanks drivel about Luffy's anger problem.

"I'm sorry he did that, but, as I said, he gets very uptight." 

"Why?!" Zoro snapped.

"Because he's very protective of his friends. He's been through a lot Zoro, a lot more than what you'll ever know." Shanks replied harshly. That made Zoro pause. He'd been through a lot… but how did Shanks know what he'd been through? How could he compare his life to Luffy's? The kid lived in a hall all night, with food and friends and family, but Zoro lived alone, worked his ass off just to stay alive. Luffy would live forever.

"…How would you know what I've been through, and how can you compare me to Luffy? We're two different people." Zoro replied. Shanks shook his head.

"Leave, I don't care, but please, don't just leave Luffy like this. He didn't mean it. Just… go and talk to him. Please?" Shanks asked, his request sounding more like an order. Zoro sighed.

"Fine. Whatever." and he stalked out of the cavern. Shanks let out a relieved sigh and then looked up as Zoro poked his head back in again.

"It's right, isn't it?"

"Left." Shanks corrected. Zoro frowned.

"Know it all." he cursed as he left the cavern again. Shanks smirked. Maybe Zoro would be the one to help Luffy out of his little depressive stage. It hadn't become apparent until a month or so ago, that Luffy was lonely. He sighed as he remembered the last human Luffy had introduced him to. Poor Makino. Kuro had had no right to kill her. He only did it because of his blood lust, and his wish to keep Luffy disconnected from all forms of life. Actually, it was a lucky thing that Kuro hadn't found out about Chopper and killed him.

---

Luffy smacked a palm against his forehead as he lay on his bed, looking up at the stars on his ceiling. Why had he done that? He should have just… yelled or something! Not punched him, surely. And now Zoro wasn't going to be his friend anymore. But… if that happened, then Kuro might find Zoro and kill him! Or, the Fairies might hurt him like they had last night. Ohhhh, Luffy had really messed this up now.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Luffy mumbled to himself before sighing and taking his hand away from his face, letting it drop down by his side.

"Hey…" a voice said from the doorway. Luffy's head snapped over and he saw Zoro standing there, his eyebrow raised, "Why are you saying 'stupid, stupid, stupid'?"

"Cos… now you aren't going to be my friend anymore." Luffy mumbled as a response, bringing his hands together and twiddling them together.

"You talk shit sometimes, you know that?" Zoro cursed as he walked in, a small smile on his face. Luffy looked up and his lips twisted. He hadn't expected that remark. Zoro turned to him with a grin and Luffy returned it.

---

Nami watched Sanji carefully as he walked by her side. First night outside. He had become self aware, and he was able to speak, think, and pretty much do everything for himself. It was that first few days of getting used to being, well… dead. But alive.

"Nami-san, might I ask you something?" Sanji inquired. Nami nodded.

"You just did." she replied cheekily. Sanji chuckled before becoming serious.

"How long have you been… a vampire?"

"Why?" 

"Just wondering." 

"Well… it would be…" and she thought for a moment, a hand on her cheek, "I think about seventy years. I know I'm thirty years older than Luffy, and he's forty years, so, yeah." and she smiled.

"You look so young." 

"Well vampire's don't age ya know!" she barked. Sanji blinked, realizing he had offended his wonderful Nami-san.

"Ah, I'm sorry Nami-swaaaaan! You look so beautiful!" he complimented her. That seemed to ease her anger a little bit and she inclined her head towards him.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun."

"Mellorine!" Sanji cried, twirling around. Nami grabbed his collar and looked around worriedly.

"Don't _yell._" she hissed. Sanji blinked at her, "There could be Fairy spies around." and she sighed when nothing happened. Sanji blinked again before wincing, realizing that they could have been caught.

"Sorry Nami-san." he whispered, but then a question struck him, "Nami-san… what are the Fairies?"

"Fairies." she replied simply.

"But… from what you've told me about them, they seem like us."

"…well, they are I guess. A little bit. Robin said to me that they are us… just, wilder, more dangerous."

"Wilder?" 

"Mhm. Basically, from what I could understand of Robin's cryptic speech, they are us. Just… more blood thirsty, with wings. I don't know Sanji, I truly don't. I think Shanks does, but, not me." Nami finished, getting frustrated.

"Nami-san is so wonderful when she's angry!"

"Stop shouting!" and she whack him around the back of the head. Sanji blinked.

"Sorry Nami-san." he cooed as she turned around and began moving back towards their home again. Grinning like the goofball he was, Sanji trotted after her.

---

Kuro leaned against a tree and watched as those juicy morsels (otherwise known as humans) wandered past, not even noticing him. He licked his lips as he spotted a young woman walking alone, and no one was near her. She would be a good target. Straightening his glasses, he stepped out and followed her before catching up to her and noticing what a pretty morsel she really was.

Black hair, rosy red lips and deep blue eyes. Alabaster skin and a gorgeous figure. But that wasn't what he was interested in. Pumping beneath that perfect skin was thin veins, full of warm, red, juicy blood. Kuro smirked at the thought and then smiled as she looked over at him.

"Hello there. It's very dangerous this time of night, so, why don't I walk with you?" Kuro asked, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. She smiled and batted her eyelashes.

"Why, that would be wonderful." She replied, "Really, you're too kind." 

"Not at all." Kuro replied, feeling a small tug inside him. He denied his lust though and continued beside her, "A beautiful girl such as yourself should not walk alone."

"Oh…" and her voice went from warm and accommodating, to cold and calculating, "but I'm not alone." Out of the trees burst literally groups of ten Fairies at a time. The woman stepped back and smirked at Kuro, her eyes slanted and her head tilted to one side.

"A few little Fairies will not stop me." He snarled, twisting on the spot and glaring at all the broad swords, and crossbows pointed in his direction.

"A few?" another voice joined in, a cloaked figure stepping out from behind a large statue of Mayor Nefretari. Kuro frowned.

"This does not concern you." he snarled angrily. The cloaked figure laughed.

"But I think it does… Well done Alvida." the figure said as it stepped up beside the woman. She smiled and shrugged off the large jacket she had been wearing, and let it drop to the ground, revealing beautiful wings. How had he not sensed it? Too intoxicated by the human blood he had been taking all night. That had to be it. He was slower, dumber and more easily prone to being caught, as he had been.

"How does it concern you fool?" Kuro snarled, twisting again as he pulled on his clawed gloves. Really, he had waited too long to escape for now he was totally surrounded by crossbows, broad swords, daggers, sharp bits of metal that couldn't have been classified as anything other than a weapon.

"Well, it has come to our attention that recently you have been banished from that red haired fool's Hall." Alvida continued, draping an arm over the cloaked figure's shoulder. Smirking, she tilted her head sexily at Kuro.

"What's that to you, and hurry up. I tire of this." Kuro snapped.

"We come to you with a preposition. Become one of us." 

"Ha, fool, like I would become a miserable, dirt loving Fairy."

"Oh…" Alivda began before her smirk became more of a snarl, "But we didn't ask you. We _told _you." and she laughed. Kuro frowned. He wouldn't be taken this easily. No way. But, none of his attacks were working. His claws broke on the Fairies' hard wings, and his stealth ability always ended in him being thrown back into the circle. Finally, he was left in the middle of the group of fairies, dirty, bloody and angry… but defeated.

"What do you want?" He growled. Alvida smirked.

---

"Why did you think I wasn't going to be your friend anymore?" Zoro asked after at least fifteen minutes of trying to cheer Luffy up again. It really had only taken about 2 seconds but, they had been having fun. Well… Luffy had been having fun. The boy shrugged.

"Cos I hit you." 

"You call that a hit? More like a mosquito bite." Zoro snorted. Luffy frowned, pouting at the same time.

"I knocked you into the water!" 

"Alright, it was a really _big _mosquito bite." and he grinned. Luffy glared at him with a raised eyebrow before breaking into giggles.

"Zoro's so mean." he commented. Zoro shrugged, not caring.

"But Nami-saaaaan! I didn't mean to yell!" a voice cried as the steel door slammed. Nami stormed past, Sanji trotting after her. Luffy blinked at Zoro, who blinked back at him before Luffy dissolved into paroxysms of laughter. Zoro even had to chuckle as a loud 'whack!' sounded through the Hall.

"So, Zoro's still my friend?" Luffy asked. Zoro paused and then shrugged uncaringly.

"I guess so."

"Good. Friend's forever!" and he bounced on the bed. Zoro really had to stop for a moment there. Luffy lived forever… but Zoro, being human, wouldn't. So, how would they be friends forever? Zoro was bloody sure he wasn't going to become a vampire anytime soon… if he could avoid it. Luffy was humming to himself, repeating a song in his head that had been stuck there for the past week.

"…llama, llama, lla-" but Luffy stopped as Zoro made a small noise, opening his mouth and getting ready to talk.

"Ah… Luffy. We'll be friends now, for a while, but, eventually I'm going to have to leave."

"Leave?" and Luffy tilted his head.

"Well, for one I'm a human and you're a vampire, so, you're definitely going to outlive me." he explained. Luffy nodded.

"I know."

"Then… why?" 

"Just because you're dead, doesn't mean we still can't be friends." and Luffy looked at him, smiling genuinely and giving Zoro something to think about for a moment before he smirked.

"Right Luffy." 

"Yay!" and there was silence, broken only by the sound of Sanji apologising profusely to Nami and the loud noises coming from Ace's room. They were ignored… for a while, until Luffy couldn't take it anymore and began rolling around on the bed, laughing his head off and grabbing at his sides. Zoro even began chuckling to himself. When they had stopped laughing at the expense of Luffy's brother, Zoro announced that he would have to go home and clean up the mess that had been made. Luffy had begun panicking at that.

"No! If Zoro goes home then Kuro will show up and hurt him!" Luffy cried. Zoro blinked.

"Me?" 

"Yeah." and Luffy fiddled with a string in his jacket, "You're the first human to escape him… and he won't rest until you're dead."

"Serious?" and Zoro frowned, "Well fuck, doesn't that just make my day." and he slumped back against the wall again. Luffy looked down and tugged harder at the string. 

"I'm sorry."

"Eh… never mind. Shit happens." and Zoro yawned and stretched, "Umm… could I get some more food?" Luffy blinked and then grinned.

"Sure!"

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**Umm... down time chapter, next one should be more action... hopefully. lol. -looks nervous- Dance, be merry, and review! -grin-**


	9. Scaredy vampie

**I hope you weren't all... umm... put off by the last chapter. I swear it probably won't happen again between them. It was a once off. But... there will definately be more ZoLu and SanNam. lol. Sorry again. **

**This chapter is a bit longer than usual. Thanks to Treestar who has been giving me some awesome reviews for this! Thanks to EVERYONE! Be sure to check out the Night Vigil fanart too. It's on my profile page, at the top. -nods- Check it out! Tis teh cool! XD**

**I um... also have to apologise to poor old Treestar who got freaked out by my choice of pairings (ASIDE from her love of ZoLu -snicker-), but I have to admit, she's good at ignoring them. So, thanks for that. And sorry again!! -winces-**

**I don't own Crispies! **

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 9: Scaredy vampie**_

Luffy was leading Zoro back to the cupboard where he had found the food and Mr rat, pointing out various interesting things as he went along. Needless to say, the things that seemed to interest Luffy… were rather boring to Zoro. He would still nod, mumble something about it being cool, or smile, but he never really felt that anything about this place was cool, and if truth be told and his manliness admitted it, he was shit scared of this place.

A human, amongst Vampires?

That wasn't the uncommon thing, the uncommon thing about it was, he was alive. Now, seriously, a human full to bursting with veins of life giving blood, walking around a 'Hall' filled with Vampires who _sucked _that life giving blood, was just a little strange, wouldn't you think? But there he was, all green hair and 'back off' attitude, walking down a hallway filled with artefacts that belonged in Roman times. Statues, spears, chariots, paintings and wall hangings.

They were all ancient, they were all history and to Zoro, they were all boring. But Luffy seemed to like them, although he seemed to associate them more with 'pretty colours' or 'awesome fighting power'. To think about it, Luffy probably didn't even know when or where they came from and in retrospect, that was probably why the boy was moving past them so quickly. Smirking freely now that he had finally passed all the staring vampires and their sparkling fangs, Zoro caught up to Luffy and tapped him on the shoulder.

"So… do I ever get to go back to my home?" 

"I don't know. Why would you want to? It's awesome here, isn't it?" Luffy asked, grinning. Zoro raised an eyebrow before looking at his hip, swords clinking gently as he walked.

"I kinda want some stuff, ya know. I mean, I don't mind staying here but… I have a job, and I need clothes, a bath would be a GREAT start." Zoro replied, feeling rather dirty and unclean.

"A bath!? Why didn't you say so? Jeeze Zoro, if you want something all you have to do is ask. Not like I'm gonna bite you or something!" and he laughed. Zoro laughed as well, though admittedly his laugh was a little less enthusiastic and a LOT more nervous. He had no doubt that Luffy wouldn't bite him, the boy just didn't seem the type to do that sort of thing, but, the rest of them. When they looked at him, teeth flashed and eyes narrowed, glowing dangerously in the dimly lit corridors of the Hall.

It was a frightening experience, and Zoro really wasn't sure if he would be safe here. Luffy might be able to protect him but, Luffy wouldn't stick around like glue. He'd probably find someone else he thought was 'unbelievably cool' and then toddle off after them, leaving Zoro to laugh nervously as Vampire's eyed his neck hungrily. The very idea itself of Luffy leaving him was a tug at his chest. For some reason unbeknownst to him, Luffy had been able to work his way under those rock solid defences, kick down those barriers around Zoro's heart and then commence building his own little home there, complete with chimney and hot chocolate makers. Silly idea, but that's how it seemed.

"Ha ha! Food!" Luffy cried happily upon reaching that same, stingy little room they had been in before. Sighing, Zoro followed him in and looked around.

"What do you want this time?" Luffy asked as he peered into the little cupboard. Zoro was about to respond, dusting off a chair as he did so, when a voice echoed down the corridor to them.

"Luffy! Are you rummaging through the human food again! I told you, if you eat it goblins are going to come through the floor and try to steal your fing-" but the voice was cut off by a terrified squeak. A young boy stood framed in the doorway, one arm resting loosely against the frame. Zoro raised an eyebrow at the long nosed, brown, curly haired boy before turning back to Luffy who was laughing beside him.

"Usopp! Where have you been!?" Luffy crowed, jumping to his feet. Usopp blinked at him for a second before his wide eyes slowly turned back to Zoro and he let out a strangled scream and ran back around the corner. It was then that Zoro remembered who Usopp was. The vampire who had seen him, screamed like a little girl and then run away a while ago, before he had met Luffy and realized that vampires really weren't that bad. Wow. Did he really think that now? Well… maybe not all vampires weren't bad, after all, Kuro was pretty nasty. And that Smoker seemed pretty… well, grumpy and touchy. But at least he didn't look at Zoro's neck like it was an entree.

"Hello? You awake over there?" Luffy's voice brought him back to reality and Zoro frowned at him.

"What was his problem?" he asked, ignoring Luffy's waving hand in front of his nose.

"Oh, well, Usopp doesn't exactly like humans. He had a bad experience with them that involved knives, a dark room underground, and a rubber duck... So he's scared of rubber duckies now too." Luffy explained a little carelessly, humming as he turned back to the cupboard and then pulled out a box of Crispies cereal. Grinning, he held it out to Zoro who blinked before taking it. Better than nothing. Luffy then ran out of the room, calling Usopp's name.

"Hey!" Zoro cried, not wanting to get lost, and followed him out. This place sure was weird...

---

Nami blinked at the blonde man standing over her. His brows were lightly furrowed and his lips were pressed together as though he were trying to stop himself from saying something.

"Why?" Nami finally asked. Sanji blinked at her, leaning away from her desk.

"Because Nami-san, I would like to know."

"But why me?" 

"Well, because I like you Nami-san. And at the moment, you're the only person who will talk to me here." Sanji muttered as a response.

"Luffy will talk to you, and why don't you try to find Usopp? And Robin." 

"Who and who?" Sanji queried, looking at her with a confused expression. Nami sighed and pressed a palm to her forehead as she felt the strains of a headache coming on. It really was like raising a child. She was remembering how Shanks had had to teach Luffy how to do everything all over again. She was glad she didn't have to do that with Sanji. Suddenly, Sanji leant away from her and blinked in a confused and partly curious way.

"I want to…" he muttered to himself while Nami raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms while watching him.

"What?" she asked when he didn't continue. Sanji looked down at her and tilted his head to one side.

"Cook." he replied moving towards the door. Nami sighed deeply. Oh great! Of all the things the bastard could have remembered, he remembered her and cooking!

"Hey!" she called as he exited the room. Sanji paused and then craned his neck back so he was looking at her from around the doorframe.

"Yes, Nami-san?"

"…Wait up." and with a sigh she pushed herself up and moved out after him. At the rate she was going, she would be lucky to map out the eastern part of the city within the next century. No, scratch that… within the next millennia. Sanji walked beside her in silence, retreading the path she had shown him yesterday that led to the old kitchen.

Every now and again, he would glance at her and Nami would ignore it, but when the glances became staring, and the staring became gawking and the chef had given up all pretence of being subtle, she turned to him with an angry glare and a light red tinge on her cheeks, annoyed that she was being stared at like some sort of circus attraction.

"What the hell are you staring at?" she snapped, making sure to let her fangs show and her eyes flash. Sanji took an instinctive step back, not advancing on her at all. Nami blinked. She had expected him to at least bare his own fangs back at her, but he did nothing, just watched her silently… calculatingly… and Nami soon decided that she didn't like it. No, not one bit. Lifting her leg, she rapped him sharply on the shins and then squealed in pain, hopping around and clutching at her foot. His legs were like... STEEL! Oh my God that had hurt! Sanji just blinked for a second before his eyes widened.

"Nami-san! I'm sorry! I should have moved! I should have cushioned your toe!" he cried desperately as he tried to help her. He put his hands gently on her waist to try and stop her from falling over, and instinctively Nami turned around and slapped him across the cheek. Blinking in astonishment, Sanji put a hand to his reddening cheek and looked down at her. Nami straightened and frowned in his direction.

"Serves you right." she hissed before tossing her magnificent head and walking away. Truth was though, deep down Nami felt just a little guilty for slapping him. He had only been trying to help. But… Sanji wasn't put off by Nami's slap. In fact…

_Whoa! Nami-san is so… HOT! _Sanji cried within his own mind before he trotted excitedly after her. One little slap wasn't going to put him off. Nami glanced at him as he moved up beside her again, grinning in a rather love-struck way that made Nami blink. What was wrong with him? Did he have brain damage or something? She had just slapped him, and he was… well, it looked like he was in love with her! A strange tingle ran up her spine and suddenly the hallway just seemed a little warmer, and her breath just wouldn't slow down.

_Damn him! Damn him to Hell! He can go by his goddamned self! _Nami spat inside her head before turning to Sanji with a frown.

"I'm going back. I have work to do. Think you can find the way by yourself?" she asked, her throat strangely constricted. How had this happened?! How could she be in lo- no, she wouldn't say that. No. She had vowed never to do that. Never. Sanji blinked at her and his happy expression seemed to fade just a little.

"Oh… no that's fine, Nami-san! I'm okay by myself!" he replied, grinning and sticking his hands in his pockets. Nami gave him a tight smile and hurried back the way she had come. Sanji watched her go, not really sure what he had done to anger her so. It could have been because she had hurt her toe… or it could have been because he was staring at her, but Sanji thought something else was up.

In the short time he had been here, he hadn't left Nami's side except to eat, sleep, go to the bathroom and bathe, and in all the time he had spent with her, she had never been that angry with him. Although, he had to admit, she had a good mask there. He hadn't been able to see she was angry until he looked into her eyes. He stood there for a long time, just staring at Nami's far off doorway before bowing his head slightly and turning away, moving for the kitchen. So caught up in his thoughts, he honestly didn't see the person heading straight for him until it was too late.

"Ah!" a voice cried from somewhere near his stomach. Dazed from his fall, Sanji blinked the stars from his eyes and managed to sit up enough to see a young boy who looked to be about the same age as Nami, blinking up at him.

"Oi!" Sanji suddenly snarled and the boy whimpered, pulling his feet under him and jumping up, looking desperately for an exit. He ran off down the corridor and Sanji stood, glaring after him.

"Usopp! Come on!" Another voice cried and then Sanji was thrown backwards again, trampled beneath wooden sandalled feet. One of which came dangerously close to the junction between his legs. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sanji sat up and twisted to see a skinny boy he vaguely remembered, running after the long nosed boy. Standing again, Sanji turned and saw Zoro running toward him, obviously following Luffy.

Smirking, Sanji stepped graciously out of the way, and when Zoro was at the right spot, he swung up a leg and smashed the swordsman in the stomach, sending him backwards. Coughing and sputtering because of being partly winded, and partly shocked, Zoro sat up again, pressing a hand briefly to his stomach before glaring at Sanji and standing.

"BASTARD!" he roared and launched himself at Sanji, who relished the opportunity to fight. He had been itching for one ever since he had been converted but hadn't found anyone who looked as though they had been worth fighting. The two exchanged blow after blow, and Sanji was finding it a wonderful experience. He was able to beat the hell out of Zoro, who took a long time to tire but eventually did, while Sanji kept going at a pace that was pretty normal for Vampires.

"Fuck off you asshole." Zoro snapped finally, taking off in the general direction Luffy had gone.

"Oi!" Sanji yelled after him. Zoro responded by giving him the rude finger and continuing. Steaming, Sanji reached for a pack of cigarettes that he always kept in his front jacket pocket.

Raising it before his face, he lit it and then turned back towards the direction of his kitchen. He reached it without encountering anyone other than Robin, who got a compliment on how the light made her eyes sparkle. After receiving a gracious nod from her, Sanji had continued. And now, he stood before a gigantic pile of dirt, dust, mould and rust. Sighing, Sanji stepped into the room gingerly. Before cooking, he would have to make sure this place was clean and glittering. First things first, it needed a door. Turning on his heel, Sanji ventured out to find the red haired guy. He seemed to be the head hauncho around here, and he would know where Sanji could get a door.

---

Zoro blinked as he looked into a large room, polished walls and a glittering marble floor that had a large, plush carpet laid in the centre. The walls were covered with crackled and aged paintings that were so ancient, it made it hard to tell faces from shirts. Two doors led off to either side, and at the other end of the room was a large, stone fireplace that had a fire flickering within it. Zoro walked into the room slowly and reverently as he looked around. This place grew more amazing, the more you looked at it. Really, what was this place? Luffy ran in through the right door, looking around anxiously. He spotted Zoro and his lips twisted before he began searching again.

"Come on, Usopp! Zoro's a nice human! He's really cool and he's not going to try and slice you apart. _Please_ come out!?" Luffy cried, the echo of his voice reverberating around the walls and making the boy wince, extra sensitive hearing making it hard for him to tolerate the noise. Before Luffy had the opportunity to run off again, Zoro latched onto his shoulder and gestured around the room in awe.

"What… what is this place?" he asked. Luffy blinked and then grinned.

"_This..._ is why it's named the Hall. It's beautiful, ne?"

"Very."

"It was once a part of a really big mansion, or so Shanks told me. The owner was rich, and he had a lot of gold and jewels and general shiny and pretty things. But one day there was an uprising in the place above us. Ironically, the town was named 'Hall'. Now, when the uprising was over, they buried the house under as much dirt and stuff as they could."

"So... what happened to the owner?" Zoro asked, looking up and thinking how this place could have stayed in tact while being buried. Shouldn't it have moulded over and collapsed?

"Who knows? The people probably killed him. But this place was in danger of falling in, but Shanks came then. He and Robin, Smoker and Kuro, all reinforced this place, fixing it up and making it able to stand the weight of the dirt again." Luffy explained, moving to sit on the floor and crossing his legs a little. Zoro turned slightly, looking over and above him.

"Luffy..." 

"Yeah?"

"Why... are you warring against the fairies?" he asked, turning to look down at the boy. Luffy shrugged gently, shaking his head.

"It's... not really spectacular actually. It's not heroic, or... smart... or even intelligent."

"So... what's the point?" and Zoro eyed him, knowing that there was something Luffy wasn't revealing.

"We're fighting because of the Runes. It... goes a long time back. A REALLY long time. It was once something noble, but not anymore."

"Would you stop talking in damn riddles?" Zoro snapped, getting annoyed with this. Luffy frowned.

"Do you want to hear or not!? Don't be so _grumpy_!" and they glared at each other for a while before Zoro sighed and bowed his head slightly, backing off from the argument. He wanted to hear what Luffy said, not fight with the kid.

"Good. Now, as I said, it was the Runes. Don't ask what they are, because... I'm not entirely sure, ok? Shanks said that once, the Runes fought for the protection of humans. And for the continuing survival of their own kind. So there was one for the Fairies, one for the Vampires. Because the Vampires _needed _the humans to keep living... to keep surviving, they fought _for _them. The Fairies, only needing _something _with blood, didn't care if the humans lived or died. So they just killed them ruthlessly. The Vampires got in the way..."

"So the Fairies took it as an offence?" Zoro guessed, his eyes narrowed slightly as he continuing watching Luffy. The boy nodded.

"Yeah... Sounds stupid, huh?"

"Hmm... a little. But it's not like the Vampires started it, right? It was the Fairies' fault, yes?" 

"Yeah... Anyway. Then Shanks came along... He wanted to try and stop the war, try and make everything co-exist. But... the Fairies wouldn't listen. They're stubborn, stupid, and self-involved and they hold grudges for a LONG time." and Luffy smiled a little, "Does that help?"

"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't make total sense, but then, nothing ever does, eh?" and he smiled as well. Luffy tilted his head very slightly, curiosity over his face.

"Zoro... you fight them, right?"

"Yeah... I used to fight Vampires too, when I wasn't working at my job."

"Why?" and there was a long silence.

"The Fairies... because they did something that I won't ever forgive. And the Vampires... because..." and he bit his lip a little nervously, "Because I _thought _they were the same as the Fairies... but..."

"We're not... are we?" and Luffy smiled softly, almost knowingly and Zoro blinked a little before shaking his head softly.

"No... you're not..." and he smiled back. Luffy least of all. With a short jump, Luffy was on his feet again and brushing off the seat of his pants, all seriousness forgotten.

"Look around! There's more through the right door, and if you pull the book labelled 'Centuries of Myths and legends' in the book case," and Luffy gestured towards a cherry wood bookcase in the corner, "then it'll lead into the most awesomest place you can go!" and he made to continue looking for Usopp, but then thought better of it and turned back to Zoro.

"I'll help you look around. Usopp'll show again soon. He's a scaredy vampie is all."

"A what?" Zoro asked, not stopping the small chuckle that escaped his lips.

"A scaredy vampie." Luffy repeated, totally serious. Zoro cleared his throat, remembering what had happened when he had unknowingly insulted Chopper. Luffy smiled.

"You can laugh at that Zoro, I was just being silly." and the boy chuckled as he headed for the bookcase. Zoro smirked in relief and followed.

"Very funny." he quipped in return. Luffy took the book and pulled it out, turning to look over his shoulder as he laughed with Zoro. The bookcase turned away to reveal utter darkness and Luffy was about to step in when pointed blades slashed down, and the boy vampire, jumped back just in time. Soft, insidious laughter filled the room, echoing and making it louder and more frightening.

Zoro slowly let a hand drop to his side, cradling the handle of Wadau in his hand. Ten blades glittered in the light as a familiar face was revealed, followed by a thin and willowy body that was sharp about the shoulders and legs. Luffy took another step back and then his eyes widened as a smell he knew very well, hit his nose.

"Kuro…" Luffy whispered, looking past the tall man, "What have you done?" and then he turned on his heel, stumbling and running towards Zoro, who blinked in confusion before Luffy grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the door.

"Good! Run to that red haired fool and tell him that the revolution is at hand!" Kuro called, his arms crossed casually as he laughed. Luffy suddenly stopped, jerking Zoro to a stop. Slowly, he began to turn.

"What did you call Shanks?" he whispered in a voice so cold it sent shivers down Zoro's spine. Kuro smirked, unfazed by the display.

"A red haired fool, what else?" Kuro replied. Luffy shivered, his shoulders shaking and his eyes shaded.

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL SHANKS A FOOL! You're the fool! You're the one who brought an army of Fairies in here!" Luffy yelled, so angry that he could barely stop himself from launching forward and ripping Kuro's throat out then and there. The former Elder smirked all the more widely.

"Oh, you think so? Well, let's just say that I have made a compromise." and Kuro's eyes narrowed, "They get you, the Hall, and all the vampires within it, and in exchange, I get freedom to do whatever I please. I can take over whatever I want, and they don't have an qualms about the areas I have. It's a rather beneficial arrangement on our part." 

"On **your **part!?" Luffy cried in an almost unbelieving tone, "Why the hell do you want to give them me?"

"Well, because you are the- ah… oh, no no, this is too good." Kuro sneered, "That red haired fool is truly an idiot. He hasn't told you, has he?"

"Shanks can tell me, or not tell me whatever he wants! He's a great man, and he'll kick your ass like there's no tomorrow!" Luffy yelled. Zoro almost let out a cheer, but, he kept himself in check. This situation could easily turn nasty and he didn't want to be the one to start it… well, not just yet anyway. Just how many Fairies were in an army anyway? Oh well, he would soon be finding out. Kuro's face had flushed angrily with Luffy's last remark, and the boy grinned widely before grabbing the bottom of his eyelid and stretching it down, poking his tongue out at the same time. This enraged Kuro and he turned, barking at the opening in the wall.

"Get in here!" but by the time he turned back to Luffy, the boy and his human friend were gone. Snarling, Kuro scratched two long slashes in the marble and then followed.

---

Zoro puffed as he ran beside Luffy, their feet making loud slapping noises on the cement.

"HEY!" Luffy cried as he ran, "FAIRIES! IN THE HALL!" Various heads popped out from dark rooms and stared in disbelief before they realized Luffy couldn't possibly be lying. The boy was known for being honest… sometimes annoyingly so. Luffy turned a corner and skidded into a familiar passage. Zoro knew this one. It had been the one they had gone down to try and find Shanks when Luffy was looking for food for Zoro.

"Shanks!" Luffy cried, his throat becoming hoarse with all the yelling. The red haired man burst from a room to their right, startling Luffy and making him jump to the side before he saw who it was.

"Shanks! Kuro brought Fairies through the secret passage!" Luffy said. Shanks blinked before a snarl curled it's way across his lips and he strode back into his room, ignoring Sanji who had been asking for a door for the kitchen. Now, the blonde hurried out of the room.

"Fairies?" he asked. Zoro raised an eyebrow at him before frowning.

"Yes shit head, Fairies." Zoro snapped. Luffy blinked between them before frowning as they began throwing insults at each other. Now, was not the time.

"HEY!" he yelled so loudly it made both full grown man jump, "Enough. This is not the time." and Luffy looked between them, something compelling the two to listen and do as they were told lest they face the danger in Luffy's eyes. The boy nodded in approval before taking off down the hall, Sanji and Zoro hot on his heels and co operating for once. Shanks was to be found in the middle of a mad panic. Vampires were running every which way, dragging things from one room to another. Passing out weapons and armour.

"Don't you need those?" Zoro and Sanji asked Luffy at the same time. Turning back to the them with an interestingly wry smile, Luffy winked.

"Nope. No one can touch me." 

"But, Kuro…" Zoro began and then trailed off. Luffy shook his head.

"I won't be dealing with Kuro…" he replied. Zoro blinked and Luffy grinned.

"Shanks, Robin, and Smoker will be."

"Why?" Sanji asked, interested. Luffy shrugged.

"They're the Elders… and they've been dying for a reason to fight that bastard for a long time." and Luffy turned back to the controlled chaos before him. Soon, the stench of Fairies made Luffy wrinkle his nose in disgust, but Zoro couldn't smell anything. Being human in the middle of all these sensitive vampires, was becoming a real drag. Shanks turned and saw Luffy. His face turned grim and then he made for the boy.

Sanji spotted Nami amidst the chaos and bolted for her, helping as she dragged large and heavy blocks towards the top of the corridor, blocking the passage and at least providing some cover. Zoro was left alone though, as Luffy was dragged by Shanks into a nearby room. He waited anxiously, and before he knew it, even he could sense the Fairies were drawing close. Shanks and Luffy burst back out of the room, Luffy slightly pale and frightened while Shanks looked grim. The red haired man shook Zoro's hand and then made for the centre of the action once more. Luffy returned to Zoro's side, and glanced up at him nervously.

"What's up?" Zoro asked, noticing the sombre look the boy had. Suddenly, a grin lit the boy's face and he turned to Zoro.

"Nothing! Shanks just told me some stuff about Kuro was all." but even Zoro could tell Luffy was lying.

"Luffy, tell me, why does he hate you so much?"

"Na Zoro, I'm sure I told you… he's the one who made me a vampire." and Luffy tilted his head. Zoro blinked.

"He… but then, shouldn't he be like… I don't know, a father or something?" Luffy's eyes turned hard.

"No. Never. He bit me and tried to kill me, so Shanks says, and Shanks interrupted before Kuro could finish the job. There was no way of saving me, and Shanks didn't want me dying in agony, so… he converted me." Luffy explained, turning to watch as Shanks directed the traffic. Soft marching could be heard in the halls, echoing around and making them seem closer than they actually were. Zoro blinked. So… that was how Luffy had become a vampire.

"Zoro, we need to move up closer." Luffy muttered, taking a few steps forward. Zoro paused, questions running circles in his head, but then he followed. As they moved towards the boxes Nami and Sanji and a few other Vampires had set up, Zoro asked one more question.

"What's it like to die?"

"…You don't remember. You don't really die, just… It's hard to explain. But, honestly, nearly no one remembers." 

"Do you?" Zoro inquired before he was able to stop himself. Luffy blinked and then his eyes narrowed in thought.

"I remember… darkness. Lost. I wanted to hide, but then I wanted to run. No blinding light though, just, darkness with voices whispering. I remember… one voice there…" and Luffy trailed off. Zoro watched him, waiting patiently until Luffy could gather together his thoughts.

"A little voice… like a little kid… and she said, 'Mummy, when are we going to be let in?' and the mother said, 'Soon. Another hundred years or so.' and then I woke up, staring into Nami's eyes." and he chuckled softly. Zoro, to say the least, was in absolute awe of the information Luffy had just relayed.

"Here they come!" a loud voice trumpeted and Luffy stiffened.

"We're supposed to be up the front!" he cried before shoving his way between heavily armed and heavily armoured vampires. Soon, they became aware that Luffy was moving through and then a path melted through the large group in the corridor. Luffy was able to run freely to the front, accompanied by Zoro.

"Shanks?" Luffy asked in a soft whisper as he crouched beside the man. Shanks shook his head.

"I don't know Luffy, they shouldn't be taking this long." he replied. It was then that Zoro spotted a multi-coloured wing poking out from the corner, shadow bobbing against the wall.

"They're coming." he whispered and then all fell silent. A chill swept across the group… and then a sword was flashed and the Fairy charge began.

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**Was getting too still. Need some action, don't we? Well, the next chapter should be full of it with any luck. Any confusion or queries, go on ahead and ask and I will explain it! **


	10. Fight or flee

**Okay, so, I really have no idea how long this story is going to go for. Might be another five to ten chapters, but, I can't see it exceding twenty unless I come up with the most amazing strike of inspiration. I am not bored with this story, far from it, it's just... you can only do so much, ya know? And I try to keep every story I do as different as I can. Enough of my rambling though, enjoy the chapter! -waves-**

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 10: Fight or Flee**_

First came a volley of flaming arrows and white hot metal shavings that had been heated in a pot before being flung by a small catapult. The sudden attack caught many vampires off guard and they fell to the ground, arrows sticking from their hearts. Despite many popular myths, some of it was fact, and when a vampire is stabbed through the heart, they will die.

Though, they don't turn to dust like some science fiction readers or watchers are lead to believe. They just died. Luffy frowned and turned his face back to the mass of Fairies that were now advancing. Suddenly, a wall of fire stopped them, Ace's lithe form flickering within the centre of the orange and red, dancing colours. Luffy grinned and Ace turned and winked.

"Yes!" Luffy hissed, pumping a fist into the air. But then Ace sputtered and hurried back, water dowsing his form and making steam rise from his shoulders. Soon, Ace was beside Luffy, superheated water rising from him in a soft steam while he watched.

"Next it's Smoker." Ace muttered softly. Luffy blinked and then grinned.

"Sweet!" he yelped and Ace smirked. Zoro raised an eyebrow and then turned as he saw the grouchy old man he had met in the hallway, standing before them. His arms were outstretched in front of him, and smoker was veiling the corridor. Soon, crunches and cracks could be heard and Smoker was smirking in a self satisfied way. Howls of pain echoed through the corridor and the vampire's cheered. Until Smoker stumbled back, growling angrily as his smoke kept being swept back into his face. Finally, he gave up and jumped over the blocks and ducked down beside Ace.

"Son of a bitches." Smoker growled in disbelief when he saw the Fairies with their backs turned, wings beating like frantic, wild things. Air had knocked Smoker's smoke away and now he was pissed… guess it was up to the old jitte. He pulled it out and tapped it against his hand, ready to fight.

"Who's up now?" Zoro asked and then gasped as Luffy ran out in front of them all, arms drawn to his side. He began punching the air before him, his arms becoming quicker and quicker until it looked like there were a hundred fists pummelling the air before the vampire boy. Zoro blinked in amazement and then Ace slapped him on the shoulder.

"I believe it is impolite to leave your mouth hanging open." Ace said politely, but with a certain cockiness as well, and pride. Boy did he sound proud of his little brother. Luffy was pounding the Fairies, knocking them back and smashing their wings. Cries of pain, anger and loud, screeched out orders were heard as the vampires cheered again. Grinning with triumph, Luffy laughed as the Fairies retreated and then he blinked as all went silent.

Suddenly, arrows were flying again and Luffy yelped, running back and hiding behind the blocks. This time, the vampires knew what was coming, and reaching out their hands almost as one, the arrows broke within the air. Such was the power of vampires. If they knew what was coming, had enough time to gauge the distance and speed of the object, they could reach out and stop it before it got close enough to do harm. Flicking things on or off with simply their minds was another, and then smashing stationary objects into millions of pieces (including trees) was another. Aside from that, there was the super speed and super strength thing. That was pretty cool.

"The hell did you think you were doing?!" Zoro hissed in Luffy's ear. The boy blinked as he looked at him.

"Na Zoro, I had to. It was my turn. Now it's Robin's turn. All the S Clan have to go out and fight first to get the best hits in. It's like a game." Luffy explained solemnly. Zoro frowned.

"Sounds stupid." he scoffed. Luffy blinked again and then a small smile found it's way onto his lips.

"Don't worry Zoro, I'm not gonna get hurt." he whispered soothingly. Zoro almost seemed to blush, but he kept his face avoided, watching as arms appeared everywhere and began twisting the Fairies' appendages into awkward and what must have been painful positions. Shrieks of agony filled the halls and the vampires gave the loudest cheer yet.

"All S Clanners!" Shanks yelled, raising his arm and pointing at the Fairies, "Everyone else, back them up. Fight!" Zoro frowned and drew his swords, tying his bandana into place at the same time. Luffy grinned at him.

"Come on Zoro, let's go!" and Luffy leapt over the blocks after his brother and Smoker. Zoro did the same, knowing he wasn't an S Clanner, but still, he was a damn good fighter. He wasn't going to let everyone else have the fun either. Scores of Fairies stood before them, sharp eyes glittering with malice and teeth sharpened to a fine point. They obviously were prepared to use any means necessary to win. Robin smiled softly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Hey, bro, bet I can get ten more than you." Ace whispered from the corner of his mouth. Luffy grinned and pumped his arms.

"No way." he returned before turning to Zoro, who was staring the Fairies down. Grinning widely, Luffy nudged Zoro's arm slightly, and the swordsman glanced down at him.

"We're gonna kick some Fairy butt!" Luffy crowed. Zoro blinked before smirking around the blade handle in his mouth.

"Hell yeah." he replied and turned back. Pleased with the response, Luffy glared at the Fairies.

"Ready?" Smoker growled.

"Of course." Robin replied with a smirk rarely seen on her face.

"GO!" Luffy cried and jumped forward, the rest of the S Clan plus Zoro, beside him. They were the first to hit the Fairy front, knocking into them and ripping limbs from bodies. Fairy Blood was being splattered all over the walls by Zoro's blades. And despite how many Fairies he cut through, Zoro's blades never stayed messy. The sheer speed he was travelling at, caused them to be cleaned in the air. Nor did any blood get on the swordsman's clothes.

By the time he had sliced through one, and blood was splashing and pooling on the floor, Zoro was long gone. Luffy punched so hard, that the sheer force of his rubber fists caused the Fairies' bodies to crack, bones to shatter and wings to smash. Everything just collapsed. Luffy was keeping pace with Zoro easily, and they were untouchable. Ace and Smoker had combined their powers, an inhuman roar of fire making some of the Fairies squeak with terror before they were consumed.

The heat was incredible, and soon Ace had to tone it down because the cement was turning cherry red, and the metal in the walls was creaking dangerously. Cracks could be heard as well, and screams of agony as Robin snapped spines and arms, killing Fairies easily as she swept along the passageway. Behind them, ay straggling Fairies were cut down by the other vampires, as well as Shanks.

He was doing damn well for a guy with one arm. He was punching, kicking and biting everything, and all with a keen grace and deadly passion that made many of the Fairies disappear before he reached them. Shanks didn't really like this fighting, but vampire instincts made it hard to resist. Vampires were always called to fight, and they had always hated Fairies. But still, Shanks was making a b-line for Luffy and Zoro. He needed to tell them something.

Zoro and Luffy had somehow ended up back to back, Luffy punching and protecting Zoro's blind spot, while the swordsman slashed anything that came near him.

"Left!" Zoro shouted and Luffy spun around to his left, letting Zoro twist and drag both blades down the front of an attacking Fairy.

"Right!" Luffy yelled, twisting around and kicking a Fairy into the wall where it groaned and stumbled for a second before baring teeth and jumping at Luffy. Twisting at the right moment, Zoro blocked the Fairy's vision for a second and allowed Luffy to draw back a fist. It was stretched behind him and he smirked at the Fairy. Sharp little eyes widened, and then Luffy's fist slammed right between them. A second passed where the Fairy simply stared cross eyed at Luffy's fist, and then it fell backwards. Apparently, due to their ferocity and the pile of dead Fairies at their feet, none of the other Fairies were coming near them. Luffy put his hands on his hips and pouted.

"You know, Zoro... they're not being very polite." Luffy chastised as he walked back towards the small remaining group. Zoro grinned wolfishly, liking this rather sarcastic Luffy.

"No Luffy, I don't think they are. Perhaps we should teach them a lesson." Zoro responded, snarling slightly as the small group watched them warily. Really, together, Zoro had never realized how powerful they actually were. By himself, Zoro could barely stand up to ten Fairies, but with Luffy at his side, they were damn near unstoppable. But, he couldn't get cocky. That would lead to recklessness and carelessness and then all would go to hell from there.

Literally.

Robin, despite the fact that she was an Elder, an immortal (well, all vampires were anyway), and an S Clanner, she was exhausted. Tired and weak. Smoker was patrolling the dead Fairies, killing any by suffocation that happened to still be alive. Ace was leaning against a wall… fast asleep. No surprise there. He'd been fighting pretty viciously, and had exhausted himself. Luffy and Zoro finished the last of the Fairies easily and Luffy grinned triumphantly, but even his strength was beginning to wane.

Zoro felt tired, and his muscles suddenly decided that 'hey! The fight's over, so let's all cramp up now!' and so, the swordsman in turn became a little grumpy. Soft laughter reached their ears and Luffy had to jump backwards, dragging Zoro with him as he did so while at least thirty close range arrows buried themselves in the wall in front of them. Luffy blinked and then looked to the side, spotting a room and a door that was slowly beginning to open. From the looks of it, the fight was far from over.

"More coming!" Luffy yelled, secretly dreading the fact that he would have to fight some more. He liked fighting, it was fun, but killing and fighting constantly like this was a little taxing. Luffy blinked though as Shanks reached them.

"Go, Luffy. Go to the abandoned part of the Hall, and get out."

"Wh-what!? But, Shanks!" Luffy cried in response, disbelieving.

"No time for damn questions, Luffy! Just get going! Make sure you don't lose Zoro, I wanna see you two again." Shanks said, watching the slowly opening door with growing apprehension. Luffy blinked at him before asking in a perfectly serious tone.

"Why?" and Zoro thought that a good question. He honestly wanted to know why he was being told to leave when there was so much more fighting to be done. Who cared about cramped muscles? They would get over it.

"Because Luffy, I explained to you why. If something happens, then there's nothing to stop these mongrels!" Shanks snapped, getting even more irritated by the second. Luffy paused and then nodded slowly.

"Okay. Okay Shanks." He agreed, flashing the older man one of his infamous smiles before grabbing Shanks and almost squeezing the stuffing out of him. Grabbing Zoro's arm, Luffy dragged him down the hallway at top speed.

"Bye Luffy!" Ace called.

"See ya Ace, I win!"

"Do not!" and then Luffy disappeared around the corner. Behind them, the combined shouts of the vampires mingled with the screech of the Fairies as they fought their way into the ranks.

_Good luck guys. _Luffy silently called as he pulled Zoro around another corner and then turned to the right and through a large door. They flew down a long set of steps and Luffy jumped the last five and landed one the ground beneath with cat like grace that a lot of people wouldn't have thought possible for one as clumsy as Luffy. Zoro landed easily behind him and found he was let go as Luffy raced ahead. Slipping his blades back into their sheaths, Zoro followed.

---

Shanks watched as Kuro advanced and he could almost feel the dark waves coming off of the former vampire's body. Now, Kuro's ears had taken on a slanted point, and his eyes were going from thin slitted pupils, to wide darkness. Colour spread across his eyes, narrow veins of it twisting jaggedly across the whites. He hadn't been transformed yet.

"So…" Shanks muttered as he felt the silent but strong support of the vampires behind him, the ten who hadn't been killed. Robin, Ace, and Smoker were amongst them, along with seven others who stood behind them, one of which had become a close friend of Shanks' the last few decades. Benn Beckham, but, he was unimportant right now.

"So…" Kuro replied, deliberately mocking and baiting him. Shanks frowned and then his lips lifted in a smile.

"You've joined the Fairies." he commented in a voice so light and happy that one would have thought Shanks was congratulating him and was happy for him. This caused what was left of the vampires (a few hundred) to chuckle darkly. Kuro smirked, pretending to laugh along and then a heavy frown creased his face before he lifted a clawed hand and straightened his glasses with the heel of his palm.

"Attack. But leave him to me… I've been waiting for this a long time you red haired fool."

"Have you now?" Shanks asked, shrugging his shoulders. Kuro grimaced before leaping forward. Smoke flew from nowhere and smacked Kuro against a wall.

"That would have winded me… if I was breathing." Kuro smirked viciously as the smoke fell away at Shanks' command.

"Little help here!" Ace yelled when he was being overwhelmed by Fairies. More vampires were slain, their blood running to mingle with the Fairies'. The whole place stank, but the fighters didn't notice the smell, and continued to pound the hell out of each other. Blades flashed through the air, and screams of either anger or pain filled the air along with clashes of swords, or the twang of a bow being loosed. Gthe hum of Fairy's wings also filled the air, adding to the noise of battle. But everything faded away as Kuro and Shanks faced off, eyes glittering and teeth bared.

"You can't block me with your arm. Pitiful vampire that you are." Kuro snapped, lunging forward and slashing out, but Shanks dodged to the side.

"It's your fault I only have one." Shanks returned calmly, although he was shaking on the inside. Kuro was strong, and he was right. Mere flesh could not stand up against thin and sharp metal wielded at a strong pace. It was useless… but Shanks wasn't going to admit that.

Much like Luffy, he was going to fight it out. Kuro danced forward again, and Shanks dodged, kicking him in the ribs as he flew past. A grim determination took a hold of Shanks' face and he laid into Kuro, smashing every part he could reach with either his heel or his fist. It didn't take long for Kuro to retaliate.

---

Nami slowly backed away as a group of five Fairies advanced towards her. Unlike Ace, and Smoker and Robin with their S Clan powers, she only had her clima-tact, and right now, it felt like nothing more than a thin piece of wood in her hands. Every possible escape, or tactic flashed through her mind, and each time she found one she thought would work, something else happened and the route was blocked.

Fear slowly began to make her sweat, and shake and surrender, but surrender meant death. No point in that. She wanted to live through this experience. Bows twanged and Nami hit the ground just as one flew over her head, whistling dangerously and then ploughing into the wall. Her hands covered her head and she curled up, waiting for the blows to fall.

"Nami-san!" was faintly heard and then a loud grunt of pain followed by something hitting the ground in front of her. Opening her eyes slowly, Nami saw a black booted foot a few inches away from her face, twisting with balance as the other foot swung back and forth, knocking the Fairies back and making them shriek in anger.

Sitting up, Nami leaned against the wall and then ducked again as Sanji flipped forward onto his hands and split his legs wide, spinning on the spot and belting the three remaining Fairies across the face so hard, that audible cracks of their necks were heard, and they fell to the floor… dead. Sanji gently let one leg fall in front of his face, resting his weight on that foot and then slowly drawing the rest of his body up to a standing position.

"Don't mess with Nami-san." he hissed at any onlooking Fairies. Nami blinked. Sanji had just… how had he?

"Sanji…" Nami whispered before grinning and standing, "That was amazing!" Sanji blinked at her, straightening his shirt absently before grinning goofily.

"Really!? Ah, Nami-swaaan! She thinks I'm amazing!" and he twirled on the spot, doing some sort of strange dance that Nami raised an eyebrow at.

"Heads up!" came a cry and Sanji spun around, driving the tip of his shoe up into the gut of an oncoming Fairy. It flew straight up into the ceiling and smashed into the stone. Small web like cracks appeared around it before it glared at Sanji and then raised a blade… Sanji blinked back at it and took a step back, having no where to run, and not wanting to leave his Nami-san… Sanji took the full brunt of the blade in his shoulder, as the Fairy came smashing down.

"Sanji!" Nami screamed before glaring at the Fairy. It was about to slash Sanji's chest open as the blonde rolled on the floor in agony before it suddenly found… it no longer had a head. Nami's clima-tact was broken now… but she didn't care. The thing was dead.

"Sanji." she muttered, kneeling down beside the blonde fighter. He smirked up at her, trying to hide his pain but it was hard, and blood was pooling around him.

"I'm okay, Nami-san. Just a little scratch." He replied to her concerned gaze before moving to sit up. Hissing in pain, Sanji let himself fall back again, Nami glaring down at him.

"A scratch huh?" and then she twisted, hoping to spot Robin, and when she did, she called out to her.

---

Luffy flew around another corner, Zoro panting behind him. Zoro was a fit guy, but all this running and the fighting before that, and then more running before that, well, all of that would eventually wear a human down, but Luffy was relentless. He just kept running. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he didn't breathe, and his heart didn't beat. Zoro found it kind of strange to think of Luffy without a heartbeat.

The damn kid seemed so… alive. So vital. It was weird thinking he was undead. Luffy skidded to a stop, and Zoro barely avoided colliding into him. Before them, stood two figures cloaked in darkness. One was slim and tall, while the other was a little more squat and wide. Soft laughter reached Luffy's ears and his eyes widened as he recognized that soft voice.

"Get him." the same voice said and Zoro and Luffy found themselves surrounded by the most vicious, dangerous and beautiful Fairies that had ever been seen.

"The hell are those things?" Zoro whispered harshly to Luffy, who shook his head, a deep frown creasing his face.

"These, my dear human… are Vorn." the same voice spoke again. It seemed to come from the slimmer, more elegant figure. Luffy frowned.

"Vorn?" he asked.

"Mhm. Vorn. They are Fairies specially designed by myself. They're strong, tough, wild and bloodthirsty."

"Isn't that normal for a Fairy?" Zoro inquired sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Luffy grinned.

"Oh-ho, you're a funny one, aren't you?" the voice commented before the figure moved from the shadows and smirked at him. Luffy couldn't suppress the hiss that escaped through his teeth.

"Alvida." and he glared at the woman as she tilted her head and curled a lock of shiny brown hair around her finger.

"You remember me? I'm flattered." she commented. Zoro looked between them.

"I never forget such an ugly face." Luffy responded dryly while he grinned and put his hands on his hips. Blinking, Zoro looked at the woman named 'Alvida' again and he smirked when he saw the rage boiling just beneath her delicate skin. Apparently, Luffy had a knack for saying the right thing… at the wrong time, and doing it _intentionally _of all things. But in this case, it had worked out quite well. Or… so Zoro thought.

"Why you-!" Alvida growled, but the second cloaked figure threw out an arm and stopped her.

"Please my dear, it's not worth it." the figure announced. Alvida steamed for a moment before calming down. Zoro raised an eyebrow at Luffy, but the boy was watching the still cloaked figure intently.

"Well, to tell the truth, this has been a rather… informative meeting." the voice said. Alvida rolled her eyes.

"Stop talking like that," She muttered as they exited through the door, "You're giving me the creeps." and then the door slammed shut. The Vorn's eyes glittered in the darkness, darting between Zoro and Luffy as they sized up the stronger opponent. Apparently, they couldn't do that, because half of them attacked Zoro while the other half attacked Luffy. Blades slashed through the air, cutting deeply into Vorn skin… but they healed. Luffy was throwing them about the room, cracking bones and such with his lethal punches… but they just kept getting up.

"This is getting really annoying!" Luffy yelled angrily before he let his teeth grow and dived onto a Vorn, burying the sharp fangs into it's neck. He had never done that before, but the power he was able to exude… made him want more. Ripping his teeth out none to gently, the Vorn jerked and then fell to the ground, bright eyes going dull as it died. Zoro blinked down at the corpse while Luffy spat the blood from his mouth and wiped his lips with his shirt.

Dodging back when a swing came too close (due to his inattention) Zoro glared and then slammed a shoulder into the Vorn, sending it back into a wall. A Vorn flew at Luffy's back and Zoro warned him. Spinning around, Luffy slammed his foot into it's face, sending the thing spinning into a wall… and sending it through it. Smiling at the success, Luffy spat again, still trying to get rid of the blood.

"We… can't kill these things Luffy!" Zoro grunted as he held off a ferociously snapping Vorn with his swords. Eyes flashed in the darkness and Luffy grit his teeth. It looked like the only way to kill them… was to bite them. Zoro noticed Luffy's stance and slammed his forehead into the Vorn's.

Stars exploded before his eyes and he groaned lightly as blood trickled down into his eyes and beside his nose. The Vorn was grabbing at it's head as well. But seriously, banging his head into something that was like rock… really wasn't the best decision he had made. Luffy moved up beside him, a look of worry crossing his face.

"I'm alright." Zoro assured him, shaking his head. A dull throb was pounding through his head now, but at least it was better than the sharp needle that had been going through before, "Hey, if you don't wanna bite these guys, it's okay. We'll just keep fighting."

"No. I don't want to bite them… But who said I was going to?" and Luffy suddenly had nails that were a lot longer than usual. Blinking, Zoro found himself comparing the nails to his own swords, wondering which would be stronger and sharper. Shaking that ridiculous thought from his head, Zoro watched as Luffy absolutely decimated the group of Vorn, ripping them from shoulder to hip and punching, kicking… everything to try and kill them.

And finally, all of them lay dead on the floor while Luffy collapsed against the wall, not needing to breathe but feeling so weak it was almost impossible for him to stay awake. Zoro watched as one last Vorn advanced. Frowning, Zoro stepped forward and suddenly the Vorn discovered… one head was better than nothing. Of course, now he lacked a head completely but that was beside the point. Zoro looked around and noted that the Vorn bled red, unlike the normal Fairies which bled a sickly, dark brown colour. It was disgusting. And the Vorn's blood didn't smell like the Fairies' did.

"Luffy!" Zoro said, turning to look at his friend. The boy had his eyes closed and Zoro feared for a moment that he was dead because his chest wasn't moving. Zoro then remembered, Luffy's chest didn't move anyway. A small smile crossed Luffy's face and then his eyes opened.

"I'm okay Zoro. But, just because I don't need to breathe, doesn't mean I don't get exhausted, and I think the sun is beginning to rise." and he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Zoro bent down beside him and laid a hand on Luffy's shoulder.

"Why did Shanks want you to run?"

"…don't know." and Luffy's eyes shifted softly to look at the wall beside him. Zoro could tell Luffy was lying, but he didn't press for an answer.

"Wait here." He muttered before standing and going to the door. Inspecting it, Zoro slowly opened it, a small crack of light filtering into the room. There was a loud hiss and Zoro turned to see Luffy backing away violently, eyes flashing and teeth bared. Snapping the door shut, Zoro sighed.

"Sorry." he commented. Luffy dropped backwards, lying on the cool cement to try and get his head to stop spinning.

"S'okay. Come on, we need to keep moving. I think they're more Vorn on the way." and Luffy stood shakily before making his way toward a door that led out of the hall, "We would have gone that way but now… I can't." and Luffy stepped through the door. Sheathing all his swords bar one, Zoro followed quickly. Luffy was leaning against a wall and staring down a long tube like, smooth stone ramp. He smirked at Zoro.

"We have to use this."

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**Sorry once again to cut it there, but, it was getting too long. Next chapter up next week as usual. **


	11. Discoveries

**Well well, another chapter. The beggining of this one should be quite exciting. Enjoy! Beware, SanNam-ness approaches! -giggle-**

ALSO! I would like to take the time to thank Kohakufire for her fanart of this. Simply go to my profile page, and you should find it there! Lieju as well! The fairy that Lieju drew is quite interesting and though it's not my vision, it's a pretty awesome picture! Once again, check out my profile page for that! -nods- 

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 11: Discoveries**_

"…what?" Zoro asked, staring at the tube in disbelief. Luffy chuckled.

"We have to slide down it. It's the only way to get out of this place now. What with the stupid sun up and all." Luffy seemed to be recovering by the second. Zoro blinked at him and then sighed. If it was the only way… and he didn't want Luffy to get burnt to a crisp, or blown up, or whatever by the sun if they went out the door. So, he resigned himself to going down the tube.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go." Zoro replied. Luffy gave a short nod and flicking a hand, he made the door shut behind them. Zoro blinked in amazement before smiling as Luffy clapped his hands together.

"I've been practising that for ages and it's never worked before." he said. Zoro smiled.

"Well done." he congratulated. Luffy beamed and Zoro found that just congratulating this kid was a reward in itself.

"Okay, so, when we slide, all you have to do is keep your legs straight and lay flat… or you'll hit your head. K?" Luffy explained, his face bright like it was an every day thing, and that there really wasn't a worry to be had.

"…right." Zoro replied, not feeling confident about this at all.

"I'll go first!" and Luffy leapt into the tube, gripping it's sides before grinning back at Zoro, "And don't worry, it won't rub your butt off!" and then he shoved himself, sliding along the tube at a solid speed. Zoro watched him and then gasped when Luffy suddenly disappeared. A loud cheer was heard and Zoro sighed. The tube must have gone straight down. Well fuck… that was going to wreak havoc with his stomach now wasn't it.

_Don't be such a goddamned coward. _Zoro berated himself and the swordsman took a deep breath, slid his sword into it's sheath and then lowered himself into the tube. This didn't look safe… what if he flew out!? Zoro pushed himself off and found that the slide wasn't so bad… until he dropped straight down. He let out an unwilling yell and then blinked as he twisted and turned. There was no chance of him flying out now, the whole thing was like a proper tube, low stone over his head was smooth as well and he gave a small laugh of relief.

Ahead, he could hear Luffy whooping and crying out as he slid along. Zoro suddenly felt an incredible rush of adrenaline at the trip and he gave a loud cry of enjoyment. The wind was stinging his eyes and making the short hairs on his head blow back. He had to stay flat otherwise (as Luffy had said) he would lose his head.

Literally.

Another yell escaped his lips and he found himself laughing and then he saw his swords, swinging dangerously around. Shit, if they got caught then he didn't even want to think about what would happen. Grabbing them, he pulled them into his lap and sighed, clamping one arm over them to hold them still. The slide took a dramatic twist and Zoro found himself sliding up the wall and then back into the tube again.

"How much further, Luffy!?" he cried, by no means as a way of saying he wanted out.

"Another minute or so! It takes a really good drop heerrreee!" and Luffy's voice trailed off as he gave a loud shriek of joy. Uh oh. Another drop? Clamping his arm around the swords tighter, Zoro came into a well lit cavern and the slide slowed for a second before he was speeding up again as the slide slanted slowly downwards. There was nothing but black before him now, and with a yell he flew down into a long, forty five degree angle drop. His stomach was left behind and he felt as though his heart had jumped into the back of his throat and was performing a rather complicated tap dance.

His speed increased as he dropped, and he became a little worried when he couldn't hear Luffy crying out anymore. What if the boy had hit his head? Or something had happened? And then he was thrown into a hairpin corner, into the air over a bump and then shot out the end of the tube. He skidded along the smooth stone floor before coming to a stop just before hitting the opposite wall.

"Have fun?" a voice asked and then Luffy's face leaned over him, wide grin in place and cheeks slightly flushed with the excitement and thrill of it all. Zoro blinked and then smirked.

"Yeah!" he responded as he got to his feet. Now that it was over, Zoro had a chance to think and he realized that had been the best damn ride he had ever been on! Damn... when did that do that again!? He was up for it! Luffy chuckled approvingly before looking around.

"Good. Now, we have to travel through these tunnels… only thing is, umm, Shanks never told me which way to go." and he grinned sheepishly, brushing at the back of his head. Zoro blinked.

"He… then how the hell do we get out of here!?" Zoro panicked, all traces of an adrenaline rush having disappeared from his system. Luffy waved his hands at him, trying to calm him down.

"It's okay! All we have to do is follow the smell of fresh air! There's a small outlet in a _big _cavern like, some where near here." and Luffy blinked as he looked around again. Zoro stared at him and one thought kept running through his head as he watched Luffy inspect the walls.

_We're SO doomed... _

---

Nami watched as Robin gently wrapped a piece of cloth around Sanji's injured shoulder.

"Is he alright?" Nami asked, concern on her face. Robin gave her a small, amused smile.

"Why the concern all of a sudden? Indeed, I remember you telling me that you were having a lot of trouble with him, yes?" and she chuckled as Nami stiffened and glared.

"I don't want him hurt." she responded angrily. Robin smiled lightly.

"Neither do I navigator-san. It's lucky he passed out you know." and Nami flushed further when she realized that she hadn't even checked to see if Sanji was indeed passed out. Robin chuckled again and Nami sighed.

"Poor guy." she murmured. Robin tilted her head slightly, the smile still upon her face and then slowly, so slowly, a tear began to roll down her cheek. Nami blinked at her.

"Elder Robin? What's wrong?" she asked. Robin blew out a breath, more out of reaction than to actually exhale as she turned her face away and glared at the floor, wiping an angry hand over her face.

"Elder-san…" she replied softly, "is dead." Nami felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

"Dead?" she asked in disbelief. Robin nodded, her eyes watering slightly as she rocked back onto her heels and away from Sanji. Nami shook her head slowly before her own eyes began to water.

"…dead." and she let her eyes slide closed, not wanting to see, or think, or wonder why. Because she knew the reason why. Kuro. Robin nodded as though reading her mind.

"Yes, Kuro killed him." Robin replied, not bothering to use the nickname he had been granted while he had been one their elders. Nami frowned deeply and opened her eyes, a light glow beginning to appear around them.

"Where is he?" she asked, despite the tears that were rolling down her face, Nami wanted to kill Kuro for what he had done.

"He ran for it, after Smoker-san and Pyro-san killed the last of the Fairy army." Robin replied, her own face now cold as stone, and her eyes clear.

"Then we'll find the bastard. We'll kill him!" Nami snarled, getting to her feet and searching for the broken pieces of her clima-tact. Robin shook her head.

"No, Nami. It is not our business to kill him now." she muttered. Nami blinked down at her and was about to ask what she meant when realization hit her like a slap to the face.

"But… Luffy can't do that! He'll be killed as well!" Nami yelled, causing the sleeping Ace (who had collapsed after battle in a narcoleptic fit) to wake and Smoker to look around at her.

"Navigator-san… cap-... _Luffy_, is much stronger than what you appear to think." Robin responded, a touch of ice in her voice. Shaking her head, Nami kneeled down again.

"What do you mean?" she asked softly. Robin stood and turned to look at Smoker with sad eyes, but the Elder was staring determinedly at the wall across from him, a stony expression on his face. It was then that Nami noticed the man's jacket was missing, and was in fact laying a few feet away… over a cloaked figure's body. She jerked her eyes away, hurt rising in her again as tears welled in her eyes.

"Captain-san is more than what everyone in here thinks. Even you Pyro-san." Robin commented, staring at Ace gently. The older D brother raised an eyebrow.

"He's my little bro, he has rubber powers, he can beat any obstacle that's put in his way… and he marches to the beat of his own drum." Ace replied with a smirk. Robin smiled at the interpretation of Luffy's individuality.

"Yes, but he is something else apart from that. Another being on top of that. A dangerous being."

"Get on with it." Smoker growled under his breath. Robin gave him a slightly reproachful glare before turning back to Nami.

"The fact of the matter navigator-san is… Luffy's the legend." and she fell quiet for a moment while Nami blinked at her in confusion.

"The legend? You mean that weird, scary red eyes, long teeth and nails thing he does when he gets hungry?"

"Yes. It is why he doesn't drink human blood."

"But, most of us don't."

"Because Luffy has made you not."

"True…" and there was a soft groan from Sanji, but he stayed still.

"So he's the Rune huh?" Ace muttered and then smirked, "Always knew there was something special bout my little bro." and he chuckled. Smoker raised an eyebrow at him and Ace raised one back.

"How the hell do you know about that?" Smoker asked. Ace grinned mischievously.

"I might have found out a few things from certain people." and Smoker stared at him until Ace sighed, "I read it in a book, ok?"

"You can read?" Smoker inquired with a mixture of surprise and teasing. Ace glared daggers at him before smirking.

"Better than you can Mr Illiterate." Ace responded and Smoker sputtered for a moment before crossing his arms and staring back at the wall again. Chuckling lightly, Ace stood and moved over to Robin and Nami.

"The Rune?" Nami asked softly, trying to distract her mind still. She knew she would have to deal with the grief of losing someone who had been like a father to them all soon enough, but, right now it was just too much for her to handle.

"Yes…" Robin affirmed.

"Robin-kun, I read that the Rune… was the key to destroying your enemy."

"That is true Pyro-san. The Rune is used as a weapon, but we never intended to do that with Luffy until he was much, much older. We were trying to keep the war on a quiet scale for all those years, so when it came time for the Rune to be revealed, then everything would be over in an instant." Robin explained. Ace nodded and then frowned.

"I also read something else." he said. Robin gazed at him and a grimace crossed her face.

"Yes, what you read is true. That will happen too." and she bowed her head. Nami looked between them, understanding crashing down on top of her already aching mind.

"But… Robin…" and then she put a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, "Oh Luffy." Quietness reigned in the hall, no one moved and no one spoke. It was just… silence.

"Shanks didn't want this to happen to Luffy. He wanted captain-san to have a good life. But, then the war got worse, and Kuro began to rebel and hurt Luffy. Shanks became worried that Kuro might kill Luffy because of what he was… or make Luffy turn into the Rune before the proper time." Robin explained, using names instead of nicknames for the purpose of making everything seem as bad as it was. She shifted back to the nicknames when she continued though, because her heart was paining deeply.

She had tried to prevent all this, had tried to stop it all from crashing down on her friends… her family. And for all her efforts, Luffy was out there… alone, with a deranged Elder and an army of Fairies looking for him. How she hoped Luffy got away, that the boy never figured out his heritage. And that he never came back here… and learned the awful truth about his adopted father. She honestly hoped that Luffy never returned… ever again. Sanji groaned behind them again, and began to sit up, reaching up a hand and laying it against his head as it throbbed with the motion.

"Sanji!" Nami cried, spinning around and kneeling in front of him. He blinked at her and then closed his eyes again, trying to clear the blurriness from them.

"N-Nami-san… are you alright?" he asked, looking her over quickly. Nami smiled.

"I'm fine thankyou Sanji-kun." She replied softly as she ran a hand down the side of his face. Sanji smiled goofily as she gently stroked his cheek.

"Beautiful Nami-swaaan." he murmured until she took her hand away and then he looked around again, taking in the damage, "Did we win?"

"Yeah, we won." Nami replied sadly. Sanji gazed at her in confusion. If they had won, why was she so sad about it?

"But at a great cost." Robin added softly. Ace bowed his head. Sanji blinked up at them, not understanding.

"Elder-san is dead." Robin finally spoke again. Sanji blinked and then bowed his head as well. He didn't know Shanks that well, or hadn't, because he had spent most of his time around Nami. But it was strange to think that just this morning, he had been talking to the red haired man and now he was… dead. That was what hit Sanji most. It made him begin to realize, that life is shorter than what you expect it to be.

Despite the fact that Shanks had been around for centuries and had been pretty much the founder of the vampires, it was still sad that he had died. Nami began to cry softly, her sadness finally getting through. Sanji looked up as the woman he admired began to sob and he stood and tentatively wrapped an arm around her. To his surprise, Nami didn't push him away and instead, pressed against his chest, hiding her face in the material of his shirt. Sanji held her softly, letting her cry and let it all out. Robin had turned her face away, and her face was shadowed. It was until Ace wrapped an arm around her as well, and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Thankyou Pyro-san, but, I'm okay." and she gently pulled out of his embrace. Ace nodded and looked over to Smoker, who had lit another two cigars already. Sighing, Ace walked over to him and sat down beside him. Sanji felt Nami leaning back and he loosened his hold on her, mustering up a smile as she looked up at him.

"Thankyou Sanji-kun." She said as she stepped away and dried her eyes with a handkerchief from her pocket. Sanji inclined his head lightly.

"It's alright Nami-san, it was a pleasure to comfort you…" he said and then his eyes ballooned into hearts and he began noodling around, "Because it was a pleasure to have you pressed up against me! Lovely Nami-swaaaaaan!" he cooed, dancing around. Nami shook her head and smiled.

"Excuse me Navigator-san, but, have you seen long nose-san anywhere?" Robin asked, looking around. Nami paused and then shook her head, fear gripping her once more.

"No!" and she began to search the floor frantically in search of the marksman's face.

"He is not here." Robin said as Sanji noodled past in the background. Nami threw the chef an annoyed look.

"Hey! Sanji, get over here and help us look for Usopp!" She snapped. Ace and Smoker looked around before standing and looking as well.

"We should split up." Sanji commented, back to his normal self again.

"No." Robin denied him, "There could be more Fairies roving around, and if we're alone, we would surely die. We'll have to search as a group." and she beckoned them towards the corridor where the battle had originally begun.

---

Luffy had finally found the door into the corridor that would lead them to the first set of turns. The boy was currently marching along in front of Zoro, pleased with himself. Zoro was looking around at the disgustingly slimy walls and the small, bright stones that were placed to make a bigger picture. Luffy paused when he noticed Zoro wasn't following him and looked around. The swordsman was tilting his head at the wall, trying to make out the picture the stones were depicting.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Luffy inquired as he approached the swordsman again. Zoro shook his head.

"Just this picture. What is it?" he asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Some sort of sun and moon thingy." he replied. Zoro leaned a little closer. It did look like the sun and the moon, and they were in an eclipse stage. Frowning, Zoro looked down at Luffy, who was humming to himself. Shrugging, Zoro turned down the corridor again, Luffy turning to lead the way.

"Hey Luffy," Zoro suddenly asked. Luffy tilted his head and looked over his shoulder so he could see Zoro and listen at the same time. The passageway ahead was pretty boring to look at anyway. Just a straight line. Boring really.

"Do you miss being human?" and Luffy stopped before smiling.

"Not really. I don't remember it, so it doesn't matter." he replied, avoiding the answer he wanted to give. Truth was, Luffy did miss being a human. He missed it a lot! To be able to go out in the day, and not have to worry about being destroyed by the UV rays. To be able to real food instead of drinking blood. He loved his rubber powers, but, they didn't compare to being able to walk freely at anytime of the day that he wanted, and to be able to have a heart beat.

That was something, for some reason, that he missed the most. He missed the sound of a heartbeat. True, blood still flowed through his veins, but that was only because he drank the stuff. His heart had stopped beating long ago. And so, as Zoro watched him, thinking upon another question, Luffy found himself envying Zoro his ability to do all those things that a human could do, and a vampire could not.

"What's it like to be a vampire?" Zoro asked softly as they continued walking, Luffy with his head slightly bowed so Hat covered his eyes. Luffy shrugged.

"S'okay I guess." he replied, "Kinda fun. You can command inanimate objects to do what you want. Like the door closing when I flicked my hand. But it takes a long time before you can make anything like that do what you want. I can only do it sometimes. Watch." and Luffy gestured towards a small rock. He did that weird flick with his wrist again, but nothing happened and he shrugged.

"See?"

"Why?"

"Eh?"

"Why can you only do it sometimes?" Zoro asked, making Luffy shrug again.

"Just need more practice I guess." he replied. Zoro nodded. Luffy thought back to that morning, and a strange feeling settled over him as he remembered what Shanks had told him.

"Zoro… what would you do if you became a vampire?" Luffy asked, trying to sound conversational. Zoro shrugged, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Probably wouldn't care I guess. I don't think I'd know until I actually became one." Zoro shrugged again.

"Oh…"

"Why? Gonna make me one are ya?' he said jokingly. Luffy chuckled.

"No. Just wondering." Luffy replied, smiling. They stood together like that for a while, just watching each other until a squeak nearby made them jump and look away. A rat scuttled past, squeaking to itself (probably about the invading creatures it was currently waddling past) and Luffy laughed. Zoro rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. What the hell had that been about? One minute they'd been talking and the next… he had felt the almost irresistible urge to kiss Luffy. Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Kiss!? Fuck that! He edged away from Luffy, trying to look like he wasn't doing anything of a sort.

Luffy was thinking something similar. He wasn't stupid, he knew what his feelings were… sometimes. Okay, so he had a little trouble deciphering anger from happiness sometimes, big whoop! He knew what he was feeling right now and that's all that mattered. And as he looked up at Zoro, he saw the taller man was fighting a little blush. Smirking, Luffy turned away.

"Come on, Zoro, we've got a long way to go yet." and he continued down the tunnel, feeling just a little happier than before. He knew there was something he had liked about Zoro from the moment he had first met him, and then there was the fact that Zoro was the first human not to run a mile when they saw him coming. Although… Zoro had punched him, but then, Luffy had to admit. If he had come up to himself in that manner, he would have punched himself too… wait… that hadn't sounded right.

Oh well, didn't matter. Luffy turned a corner and paused as he saw a large, flooded cavern before him. This was the only direction they could go… but Luffy didn't like the idea of swimming across the very wide, very deep and murky water before him. It was a massively frightening concept. Zoro moved into the cavern after him and smiled.

"A swim! Great!" he commented, thinking that it would be nice to feel water wash away that damned dirt again. Luffy gave him an 'are you nuts!?' look and Zoro blinked.

"I'm not swimming." Luffy grouched, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air. Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Stay here then, but, I haven't had a bath in god knows how long, and truthfully, I would really like to." and with that, Zoro made for the river.

"Z-Zoro! What about your swords?" Luffy asked. Zoro blinked and looked down at his hip before turning back to Luffy.

"Good point." and he slipped off the belt they were strapped to and held them above his head before wading into the water and then leaning forward and kicking his way across to the other side where he gently placed them on the bank and then swam back out a little way. He dived under the water and then came back up, green hair plastered to the sides of his head before springing back up again as the locks dried.

Short hair didn't stick down for long. Luffy blinked at him, not understanding how Zoro could do that. He supposed it was because of the fact that Zoro didn't have a strand of the S Clan blood. Huffing, Luffy settled himself on the bank, not willing to go anywhere near the water. Zoro bobbed to the surface for a second time and grinned at Luffy.

"Come on!" he called, his voice echoing slightly. Luffy frowned.

"Don't you remember, Zoro? I can't swim because I'm an S clanner!" he growled before muttering a few choice curses. He wasn't very happy about the fact that Zoro could swim… and he could not. It was kinda unfair. Not to mention Zoro had _forgotten _about his problem! Stupid bastard... Zoro blinked and then bowed his head.

"Sorry." he apologised. Luffy shook his head.

"Can't swim, won't swim, can't get across." he stated with a shrug. Zoro nodded.

"Ok, ok. What about…" and he thought for a moment before a thought struck him in a momentary flash of brilliance (of which would probably only happen ever once in his lifetime) and he grinned, "Can you stretch yourself across? I could get up on the bank, and hang onto your hand so you could stretch across, eh?" Luffy blinked at the suggestion and then a large smile spread across his face.

"Yeah! Yeah, that would work! Okay!" and he stretched an arm across once Zoro had gotten onto the bank again. Zoro clasped his hand and Luffy told him to hang on tightly while the rubber man flung himself over to the other side. Unfortunately for poor Zoro, he was exactly in the way now, and Luffy smacked straight into him, sending the two of them rolling along the ground until they came to a stop.

"Ha! It did work! Yay Zoro!" Luffy cried, sitting up and punching a fist into the air before he paused, "Zoro? Zoroooo?"

"Get offa me!" a voice yelled and Luffy was flipped over suddenly, coming to rest on the back of his neck, both legs hanging around his face as he blinked in an upside down way at the swordsman.

"There you are!" Luffy announced happily, as though he had just found the best treasure in the world. Zoro frowned a little angrily as he rolled his shoulders and neck, trying to get rid of the pain that was lingering there.

"Well done rubber brains." Zoro commented and Luffy grinned.

"At least we're across the river." he cried happily. Zoro glared at him, rolling his shoulders again. Well, looked like Zoro didn't particularly like the whole idea of Luffy flinging himself around anymore like a bizarre slingshot. But Luffy had had the time of his life, and he was planning on using that technique again sometime! It had been awesome!

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**Well, Luffy's now got his rocketing ability. -grin- Poor Zoro... -sniggers in the background- and a touch of SanNam **_**and **_**ZoLu in that chappie. Feh, their feelings will get stronger, trust me. Dun forget to leave me a pretty little review! -cute eyes-**


	12. Finding Usopp

**The italics in this chapter are a dreamscape. k? I'm sure you'll figure it out. -nods-**

Sorry about the wait, I was fiddling and carrying on. Sorry again! 

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 12: Finding Usopp**_

The little knot of leftover vampires, moved down the hall, calling out for the marksman. No one had seen hide nor hair of Usopp since the battle had begun. Nami kept saying that Usopp would be hiding in some crevice in a wall somewhere, like the slimy little worm he was. But, that was just her way of saying she was worried about the younger boy.

Nami continued cursing Usopp under her breath as they walked down another abandoned corridor. Sanji trotted along behind, not wanting to be separated from her. Robin, Ace and Smoker brought up the end, not wanting to get in the way of Nami's bad temper. Even Smoker was a little afraid of the fiery red head. She had one hell of a punch.

"Damnit Usopp!" Nami growled when they looked into another room and found that it was lacking a marksman.

"Maybe he's in the library?" Sanji suggested, poking his head into the room as well. Nami growled and pulled out, clenching her hands into fists.

"Navigator-san… look…" Robin murmured, stopping Nami and pointing down the hallway. Nami blinked as she looked down the hallway to the side of their little group.

"What?" she asked, not seeing what Robin was pointing at.

"It's Usopp!" Ace muttered before hurrying down the hall. Smoker was right behind him, cursing the whiny little brat (Usopp, not Ace) under his breath as he went. The sniper was cowering in a corner of the hall underneath a small coffee table, Fairy bodies lying around him.

"Don't c-come another s-step closer!" Usopp whimpered, his eyes shut tight while he held his slingshot steady in front of him. The fact that the rest of Usopp's body was shaking like a leaf in the wind, had no affect on the slingshot, and his hands. They were as steady as anything.

"Usopp… it's us." Ace said, kneeling down. Usopp shook his head, backing into the shadows a bit further but still not opening his eyes.

"You're a Fairy! You're lying!" Usopp cried. Nami stalked up to him and pulled the coffee table away, causing the younger boy to shriek and let loose the slingshot. Lucky there was nothing in it, because Usopp's bullets were pretty powerful, and they could hurt! But it was then that Ace noticed the pool of blood around the boy's feet.

"You're hurt." Robin said softly, kneeling down beside Ace and inspecting Usopp. Finally, the marksman's eyes opened and he blinked at the people standing before him.

"G-guys?" he stuttered before grinning triumphantly and standing up, "The great Usopp-sama does it again! Ahahaha! I defeated the Fairies single handed! Ahahaha!"

"Oh shut up." Nami, Sanji and Smoker all said at the same time. Usopp quailed and then blinked as blood dripped from his arm.

"AHH! Blood!" He cried, pointing at his arm and going white. Robin smiled and took his arm, inspecting the wound.

"It's alright. You'll be healed in an hour or so."

"Ah, I love these healing powers, don't you?" Ace said smartly as he stood up and cocked his head at Smoker. The Elder raised an eyebrow.

"So… what do we do now?" Nami asked, looking around. Robin raised her eyes slowly to Nami's. She was about to reply when Usopp began looking around.

"Where's Luffy and his human friend?" the curly haired boy inquired when he didn't see Luffy amongst the small group. Nami shook her head.

"He's gone. Shanks told him to run." she replied. Usopp blinked.

"Why?" and then the explanation began.

---

Luffy yawned deeply as he walked, his body swaying as he walked. It was well into the day as far as Zoro could tell, but Luffy insisted on still walking. It was when the rubber boy finally crashed headlong into the wall and then fell to the floor in a dead faint that Zoro stopped walking. Sighing, he sat down beside Luffy and leaned against the wall. It was cold, but at least this area wasn't wet.

Glancing over at his friend, Zoro had to admit, Luffy was stronger than he appeared. A lot stronger. Letting out another long sigh, Zoro let his head rest against the wall. His eyes were drooping and his mind was wandering, picking up on subjects that… really didn't have any point to life right now. Such as wondering how many little spiders were gathering on the wall across from him, and whether there were flowers blooming outside. The hell? Flowers? Where the heck had that come from? Zoro's eyes snapped open again, looking around the room quickly before closing again, and his head lolled to the side.

"_Zoro! Hey, Zoro! Come on! Ya lazy butt! Get up!" a voice called to him. Groaning lightly, Zoro opened his eyes to look around, and he saw a young girl standing before him. A smile lit up his face as he sat up, but not a happy smile, more like a determined one._

"_So, you came back huh?"_

"_Of course! You haven't beaten me yet… and I've come back to make sure you never do, so let's go!" she cried. Zoro jumped to his feet, all of fifteen and ready to fight it out with his best friend, and greatest rival, Kuina. Sliding his swords from their sheaths, he placed them in the appropriate positions and then grinned around the one in his mouth. They dived towards each other and were about to start fighting when a shriek caught their attention. _

_Kuina looked up, Zoro following her gaze and spotting the cause of the disturbance. Three women were running down the street, rips and tears in their clothes along with blood stains. A group of at least five Fairies were running after them._

"_Ah! Fairies!" Zoro growled, half terrified and half angry. Kuina frowned and then began running towards the road, following after the Fairies and their prey. _

"_Kuina! Where are you going!?" Zoro yelled._

"_We're sword fighters Zoro!" She called back, turning to glare at him, "We can't just let those people be taken!" and then she was off again. Zoro looked around for a minute before growling in the back of his throat and then bolting after her. The Fairies had managed to get a hold of the ladies, and Kuina was gaining on them quickly. _

"_Hey! Ugly butts!" Kuina yelled and then halted when the Fairies turned and glared at her. Those creatures were incredibly vain, and calling them ugly was just about the worst thing you could do. The Fairies advanced on Kuina with a menacing glare, but she wasn't going to back down. _

"_Kuina!" Zoro yelled as he raced around the corner… and stopped dead. She was there, she had her blade out… but the Fairies had been quicker. Zoro took a tentative step forward and then jerked back as her lifeless body was thrown to the ground in front of him. His hands started to shake, the quivering spreading through his body until he was shaking so violently that he couldn't see straight. _

_Hate, and fear, and aggression rose within him, blacking out all rational thought as he lunged forward and drove his blade into the first Fairy's back, slashing it around, and not bothering to remove the body from his blade as he drove it into another one. They first pain he felt was a cut to his shoulder, and then the second… a rip through his skin, from left shoulder to right hip. Pain, blood, and then darkness spiralling through his head like a hurricane. And he was left alone, lying unconscious beside Kuina's body as the Fairies left, thinking he was dead. _

Zoro woke with a start, cold sweat running down his face, and the pain still throbbing through his chest and hip. He gasped for breath, trying to erase the image of Kuina's eyes staring at him, so dull… and lifeless… Zoro shook his head, thinking upon something else to try and keep tears from flowing down his cheeks. Scrubbing an arm over his eyes, he sighed and leaned back against the wall, wishing he could forget everything that had happened… but not forget Kuina.

She was too important to be forgotten. But then… Luffy didn't remember anything. Zoro glanced down at the boy still asleep beside him, a momentary pang of worry running through him when he saw Luffy wasn't breathing… and then he remembered that Luffy _didn't_ breathe. Whoops... But, how hard must it be for Luffy to not know anything about his family, other than the fact that his brother was a vampire like him. And to only remember flashes, and feelings and bright colours.

Having only those to go off, must have been agony. Zoro's eyes narrowed as he watched Luffy closely. He was so happy. How could someone be so happy, when they had so much to deal with? Everyone seemed to be okay with it, but they weren't… bright, and cheerful and happy about it all. Not like Luffy. Zoro let out a soft sigh, letting his head fall gently back onto the wall behind him, eyes still fixed on Luffy's sleeping form. It was remarkable.

If you could call it that, but, Zoro began to think that the word didn't seem to do it justice. He had his own problems… had his own nightmares, and memories that pained him every time they surfaced. But in those memories… he had joys, and love. And happiness. And sometimes it was good to relive them within his mind… but Luffy, he could walk past his old best friend in the street… and not have the faintest as to who they were.

Would that happen to him? If he ever became a vampire, would Zoro not be able to remember anything? Not remember Kuina, his parents before they died, his life. His swords. Everything that made his life… special he supposed. Gah, he really was feeling strange today, wasn't he? He had never thought about anything like this before, and in such depth. It was weird… and a little annoying to be blunt.

"…strange…" he mumbled into the silence, letting his gaze run up the opposite wall and rest on the slimy ceiling. He also wondered why it was he felt so… close to this boy. So willing to be near him, and willing to go where he went. He could have just run out into the sunlight and left Luffy alone in the labyrinth underneath the Hall. Luffy turned in his sleep and Zoro blinked at the long red mark down the boy's cheek, and then realized that it was due to the fact that Luffy had been sleeping on a seam in the wall.

Smirking, Zoro stretched a little, the nightmare already pushed to the back of his mind. Luffy made a small groaning noise before opening his eyes and looking around. Sitting up, he yawned and blinked blearily before spotting Zoro smirking at him.

"Have a nice sleep?" he asked sarcastically. Luffy blinked back at him before grinning.

"Yep! Thanks! Did you sleep?" Luffy asked, tilting his head and grinning widely. Zoro nodded, turning his face away slightly.

"Yeah…"

"Good! Sleep is good!" and then Luffy jumped to his feet, stretching lightly before putting his hands on his hips, and looking around him. Well, it looked like Luffy's energy was back again and now he was ready and raring to go. Zoro stood beside him, brushing off the seat of his pants before following Luffy (who had set off at a brisk walk) down the hall. Another interesting thought decided it wanted to pull itself up out of the tangled web that was Zoro's mind, and make itself known.

"Hey, Luffy… this might sound strange but… do you dream?" he asked. Luffy blinked at him and then chuckled.

"Of course! I'm not a robot, Zoro." Luffy chuckled in reply. Zoro laughed softly.

"Sorry."

"Na Zoro, never mind. It was a question, and questions are made to be asked, ne?"

"…right. Heh." and Zoro continued after Luffy again. Silence fell between them, not uncomfortably but more… enjoying each other's company. A low crunch made Luffy stop, but Zoro's less acute hearing didn't pick up on it, and he was walking past Luffy when the boy vampire reached out and latched onto the back of his collar, jerking him backwards. Zoro let out a strangled gasp and then Luffy placed a hand gently over his mouth.

"Shh…" he whispered and then gently began pulling Zoro back towards the wall. Zoro blinked, not used to be treated like a child and then frowned, shaking Luffy's hand off and then glaring at the boy.

"You could have just told me, rather than try and strangle me." Zoro hissed. Luffy grinned and winked at him before looking back out the end of the alley. Three Vorn marched past, weapons held in their hands. Zoro's eyes widened.

"Those don't look like anything I've seen before." he whispered quickly. Luffy shook his head slowly before looking down at Zoro and grinning, pressing the tip of his nose to Zoro's.

"Let's beat em up." and then he let go of the swordsman (who was pretty flustered) and ran out after the Vorn. Screeches brought Zoro out of his thoughts and he ran out after Luffy, drawing his swords as he went. Luffy was smashing the Vorn, sending them into walls where they slid down and lay motionless on the floor. Apparently, Luffy had figured that if every bone in their body was broken, then the Vorn couldn't get up again.

It took too much of their power to try and heal themselves, so they killed themselves trying to come back to life. Zoro ran forward, dodging those weird weapons and slashing out, destroying them. And then he found out what those weapons were for. They attached to the Fairy's arm, and acted as a shield, with blades running around the outside that they could spin and throw and kill with. But the shield started out as a gun like weapon, slung across their shoulders. And now Zoro got a good look at them, he also noticed their wings were transparent, almost like stained glass with beads of soft colour running through them.

Luffy squeaked as he was thrown back, and then he growled and snapped forward, driving the Vorn away from him, and smashing it into a wall. The Vorn was about to get up again, when suddenly it found itself pinned by a sword. Zoro sneered in it's face, hating everything about it, before pulling his sword out and letting it fall to the floor. Luffy threw a Vorn at him, and twisting, Zoro slashed it in half.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled and the swordsman twisted in time to see a Vorn throwing a shield at him. It spun straight at his head and he ducked just in time, the blades slicing through the air above him. Luffy dodged it as well and it went spinning off into the darkness. Both Luffy and Zoro glared at the Vorn… and apparently, it had some semblance of what the word, fear, meant, for it turned tail and ran. Luffy blinked at Zoro, who smirked.

"Wimp!" he called after it, but the Vorn didn't stop, and instead kept running. Luffy laughed uproariously, like it was the best joke in the world before he turned to Zoro again and grinned.

"We rock." he said.

"Hell yeah." Zoro responded and they grinned for a few minutes before moving down the corridor again.

---

Nami looked up as Sanji sat down at the table before her. He smiled encouragingly, but Nami just turned away. She couldn't take a smiling face right now. Not after what had just happened. Robin was still in her room, not willing to come out. Ace had gone off to the library and Smoker had gone back to his own room. And now Nami and Sanji were left all alone. Shanks had been placed near the pond, and then buried that night, after they had all gone and taken a long sleep during the day.

It was sad, yes, but, Nami couldn't imagine what Luffy was going to do when he found out. The kid was like a lit fuse that someone kept delaying, but when someone fuelled that fire in him… it was as wild, and as frightening as a hurricane. As a tornado. Biting on her lip, Nami still couldn't believe what Robin had told her about Luffy. How could he be the one, the one to defeat the Fairies? He was just a kid!

"Nami-san… are you okay?" Sanji finally asked, trying to prompt her to speak. Nami nodded softly.

"M'okay." She replied thickly. Suddenly, she found her tongue felt too big for her mouth, and her throat was refusing to open and let the words come through. Her stomach roiled at the thought of moving, and her head spun every time she moved, and she hated to think what her makeup and eyes looked like right now.

"Why don't you have another sleep?" Sanji suggested softly. Nami shook her head slowly, cursing the waves of colour that blended through the air before her. Sanji hummed for a second.

"Something to eat?"

"Sanji… I don't want anything. Just… leave me alone… okay?" Nami said softly, but firmly. Sanji blanched slightly before bowing his head.

"Sorry Nami-san. I didn't mean to offend you." he mumbled, "I'll go." and he was about to leave when Nami made a soft sound.

"No… it's okay. I didn't mean to sound rude… I'm just…" and she trailed off, waving a hand vaguely at him.

"No no, it's okay Nami-san. I should have known better." Sanji said, smiling at her and then exiting the room, "Don't be too hard on yourself Nami-san." and he was gone. Nami watched the doorway before sighing. She knew she had been just a little rude, and she knew she hadn't meant to be… but that didn't make the fact that she _had _been rude, any better. She would have to make it up to him.

This would surely mean something to Sanji which she didn't intend, but she couldn't think of anything better… and she wanted contact with someone. Shuffling out of the room, Nami built up her courage and stepped into Sanji's room, head bowed. The chef was asleep already and Nami frowned. How dare he be asleep when she was coming to apologise! The nerve! Scoffing, Nami almost turned around and moved back out but a sleepy voice called out to her.

"Nami-san…? Are you okay?" Sanji asked, blinking at her. Nami's lips twitched and then she made for the bed, laying down in front of him and pressing her face into his chest. Sanji blinked and was about to start noodling and carrying on when he felt Nami shiver. This… wasn't like Nami at all! Was she okay!? Had he done something!? Had Shanks' death affected her that badly!? It must have, for her to act as strongly as this. Tentatively, as though afraid that if he held too tight, she would break, Sanji wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay Nami-san, it'll be okay." Sanji said softly, gently rubbing her back. It wasn't long before both drifted asleep and were later found by Smoker (who despite his cold, hard, and weird exterior… apparently held a grudge, and he took pictures). Ace then later told him off for it… while they laughed in a corner somewhere. It really was strange. The whole damn place had been turned upside down. And it was all because a legendary man… had died. Strange how things like that happened, eh?

---

Well, this was a fine pickle now wasn't it? Luffy had spun around, jumped on the spot… and the tunnel had collapsed beneath him. And now, the rubber boy was stretched out, arms stretched to the other side while his legs were stretched and barely holding onto the ledge by his toes. This could be due to the fact that a certain green haired swordsman was hanging around his waist, trying not to look down into the abyss below.

"Ah, Luffy, any way we can get up?" Zoro asked, gulping slightly. Luffy glared down at him.

"This is your fault!" he snapped, anger taking the place of fear. Zoro blinked. How did that answer the question? What a minute…

"My fault!? How the hell is this my fault? You were the one acting like a twit!"

"I would have been fine, if you hadn't not been paying attention and tripped and fell on top of me!"

"Tripped!? Are you kidding? The only _reason _I tripped was because I ran into your clumsy ass!" Luffy was silent after this comment, and Zoro looked up to see Luffy put his head down and poke his tongue out at him. Glaring daggers at each other, Luffy didn't notice that Hat was slipping from his head and when he finally did notice, it was too late. Making a split second decision. That hat was important to Luffy... Luffy was angry at him, so he would fix this. Zoro frowned and then let go of Luffy's waist, diving for the hat and catching it, ignoring Luffy's yell.

He had originally thought that the bottom of the so called 'abyss' was only a few feet down, but, it was a long, long, LONG way down and Zoro just kept falling. And so he realized, this is how he was going to die. Clutching that damn kid's stupid hat, and falling down a hole. Nice. Yeah, real nice! Zoro closed his eyes and grit his teeth, waiting for that final bump that would surely kill him… but then realized that he had stopped.

Something was wrapped around his waist about twenty times… and it felt strange…His eyes snapped open and he saw that it was Luffy's arm. The kid was reeling him up slowly, with a strength Zoro would have never believed possible. Finally, Luffy threw him onto the other side of the chasm and released him, before flinging himself across and beside Zoro where he lay for a second. Without a word, Zoro handed the hat over and Luffy blinked.

"You didn't have to do that ya know." Luffy snapped suddenly, startling Zoro. The swordsman blinked at him.

"That hat means more to you than your own life though." Zoro stated, not understanding. Luffy glared at him and jammed the hat onto his head before standing up and stalking down the corridor angrily. Zoro raised an eyebrow. What the hell had that been about? Following silently, Zoro watched Luffy mutter angrily to himself. The kid really was strange. Zoro had just saved his hat, and nearly died himself to do so, and Luffy was pissy with him. Just great! What the hell had he done to deserve this?

Luffy muttered vehemently to himself. He was grateful that Zoro had saved his hat… but he was also annoyed that the stupid human swordsman had risked his own damn life for it! Why the hell did he have to go and do that? That was just stupid! Shanks would forgive him if Luffy told him the hat had fallen down a chasm. Shanks wasn't mean… well, sometimes he was but only when he was mucking around, or Luffy had done something bad.

But Nami was more the mean one. Actually, he wondered what they were up to now. Were they still fighting? Had they won? Of course they had! His friends weren't weak! And the Fairies were. Stupid Fairies. Stupid Kuro. And then Luffy's ever wonderful brain decided it wanted to go back and bitch about Zoro risking his life. What would Zoro have gained anyway? Zoro would have died, and Luffy would have lost both the hat _and _him. Now, even Luffy had trouble figuring that one out.

"Stupid Zoro…" Luffy mumbled under his breath, glancing back at the swordsman. Behind him, even though Zoro hadn't heard the verbalisation but he sure had understood that glance. Frowning, Zoro decided that enough was enough. Marching forward, Zoro grabbed Luffy's shoulder and roughly jerked him around.

"Oi! The hell is your problem you little brat? I just saved your damn Hat, and now you're being all bitchy about it! Now what the hell is wrong with you?" Zoro snapped. Whoa, okay, so he had been a little angry… okay, he had been a lot angry. A bit angrier than he had originally thought! Luffy stared back at him, eyes dark.

"Jackass." he mumbled and yanked his shoulder from Zoro's grip and stalked away down the hall again. Zoro just stared. And then the full brunt of Luffy's anger, hit.

"You idiot!" Luffy yelled, spinning around on his heel and glaring at Zoro, "What would have happened once you had caught Hat, and then had kept on falling? You would have died, and I would have lost the hat, and you! That doesn't make much sense now, does it?" and Zoro understood. Luffy had been worried about him. And thought he was an idiot for doing such a stupid thing. Well, that made sense he supposed. In a weird way.

"So… you're mad because I risked my life to save the hat?" Zoro asked intelligently. Luffy blinked at him.

"DUH!" he yelled and then spun around and stalked away, leaving a very shocked Zoro behind him.

---

**Well, sorry it's a little short. my brain was dying. But the next chapter shall be up soon! I hope... unless giant monkeys stampede my house and destroy my computer. Then I'd probably have to kill myself. Meh... life goes on! -grin-**


	13. A Costly Mistake

**A twist in this chappie that most people will probably have figured out by now, but I still won't say what it is cos to the people who haven't figured out, it would be unfair. Some pretty serious stuff at the end of this chappie too. **

**Umm... just a warning about this chapter. It may be a little... err... I don't know how to say this... It's basically a strong LuZo (not ZoLu) chapter.**

Thanks so much to Clarobell for all her help with this chapter! This one is dedicated to you chickie!!! -hugs- And with the whole story actually... she's helped a lot! And Shiruji-chan too! Ah, they're so great! -huggles them both- Okies! On with the chappie! 

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 13: A costly mistake**_

It had been at least a week since Shanks had died, and Nami expected to not feel this way now. To be getting over the worst of it all already. But no, every time she saw something that reminded her of him, then she would have to turn away, and hold back tears. Robin had worked her hardest to try and keep memories of him to a bare minimum in the Hall, but, she was also unwilling to take anything of his down. It wasn't right to just completely forget the man. He had been basically a father to them. Sighing, Nami slumped back into the lounge chair, acutely aware of the silence that was running circles in the room.

"So… none of the others survived besides us?" Usopp asked in the background.

"No. And what worries me most… is that Captain-san doesn't know." 

"He might." Sanji suggested from beside Nami. The ginger haired woman frowned.

"How, Sanji?" she asked a little angrily. Sanji's lips twisted and he shrugged.

"Luffy's smart…" Ace said and everyone turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. The fire controller chuckled, "Yeah, I know. He's not the best at ordinary life, but when it comes down to things like this, he really is smart. He'll know something's up."

"…I hope you're right Pyro-san." Robin mumbled, resting her head on her hand.

"We should be cleaning up that mess." Smoker mumbled harshly.

"You go do it, old man." Ace replied, leaning his elbows on his knees and gazing at the floor. Smoker blinked before scowling.

"It's not going to do any of us any good if we have to breathe in the stench of rotting Fairy." he snapped. Ace raised an eyebrow at him before rolling his eyes and standing.

"Fine, whatever." and he moved out of the room, Smoker trailing behind. Even Ace was a little on edge of late. A little sadder, more inclined to fall asleep at odd moments and less inclined to be cheeky towards Smoker. Nami raised her head slightly.

"Maybe some of us should go after Luffy?" she asked softly. Robin looked at her.

"No navigator-san. That would definitely not be wise. You could get hurt, and besides, Luffy would be long gone by now. You wouldn't know where to find him." she replied. Nami bowed her head again.

"We could always try." she heard Sanji say.

"No." Robin almost snapped and then she stopped, her hard face going soft again, "It would not be wise. We could lose both of you too, and that's a price I'm not ready to pay." and with that she swept out of the room. Usopp twitched a little nervously.

"You think they'll be alright?" he asked. Nami looked up at him, a smile already masking her face.

"Luffy'll be fine." 

"What about the human?"

"Who, marimo? He's an idiot, a jerk, a retard… but he's perfectly capable of looking after himself." Sanji replied. Nami gave a short nod, agreeing with Sanji. Usopp didn't look reassured, but he nodded as well.

It was quiet when the vampires began to feel the effects of the sun rising above the Hall. Soon Usopp left to sleep, and Nami also went back to her own bed. The corridors had been scoured of any blood or bodies and Sanji was fast asleep in his room. Ace, Smoker and Robin were the only ones up and then Smoker decided he would go to the library. Robin and Ace had been left alone. The two sat in silence before Ace spoke up.

"What happens to the Rune when the time comes?" he asked, his voice sounding more curious but Robin suspected that it was a little forced. She bowed her head.

"He'll transform. Become… stronger, dangerous, more lethal… and most likely won't even know who he is. All he know is he has to destroy every living Fairy there is." Robin replied softly, "He'll go through a massive transformation as far as I can make out, and he'll be able to use our basic magic skills, on a much higher level. Like our ability to shut a door just by waving a hand, will become a weapon to throw many Fairies out of the way."

"What about his vampire side? Will it come into it?" Ace asked. Robin shook her head.

"I don't know. It may, it may not. It all depends on what Luffy's mind is ready to use, what he thinks will be the best weapons, and the weakest weapons. Best defences, and worst. Everything will be analysed until he becomes… the Rune." Robin explained. Ace nodded slowly.

"What about the Fairies?" he asked.

"They'll be destroyed… unless they find their own Rune by the time of the eclipse."

"When is the eclipse?"

"Twenty-second of April… this year. It is only four weeks away." Robin replied. Ace leaned his head on an upraised hand, his elbow resting on the table before him.

"Four weeks… and I probably won't get to see him before it happens." and he sighed deeply. Robin smiled.

"Pyro-san… I have never heard you this worried about your brother before." she said lightly. Ace smiled.

"Well, a big brother does worry about his little bro every once in a while." and he trailed off, his face one of actual worry before he raised his head, dark eyes meeting Robin's again,

"What about Zoro?"

"What?" 

"Zoro. I'm absolutely positive that Luffy and him are the best of friends. Maybe… in time a little more, but, if Luffy…" and he trailed off. Robin nodded, understanding where he was heading.

"Yes. It will be hard for human-san I think, but, he'll have to come to terms with that. We all will." and the room was silent.

"Damn Kuro. Why'd he have to go off and do that?" A voice said nearby and Nami stomped in, looking thoroughly irritated.

"…do what navigator-san?" Robin inquired. Nami gave her a look and Robin understood.

"No, not kill Shanks… become a fairy."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Ace asked, looking around. Robin sighed.

"I guess it's because of his blood lust. And his self involvement and everything like that. Once he was out of the company of Vampires, he simply… started changing."

"We've had people go Fairy before, but, not so crossbred like he is." Nami sniffed as she sat down, "And he's the one who used to treat S-clanners like dirt." Robin smiled.

"Yes. He was rather abusive." and she chuckled, "But it was good to see Elder-san teaching him a lesson." and she chuckled harder. Nami smirked.

"Like the time he put the bucket over the top of the door, and Kuro walked in… the bucket didn't fall and instead he was hit by a load of paint bombs from the other side of the room." Nami laughed. Ace grinned.

"Or when he boarded up Kuro's door to his room, and then put a label on it reading 'Pleas do not fee the aminal'." and they laughed some more.

"…I miss him." Nami said. Robin nodded softly.

"Yes… a lot." she admitted. Ace blinked and then suddenly his face darkened.

"Whoa… what if-" but he stopped and shook his head.

"What if what?" Nami demanded, unnerved by Ace's sudden change of attitude. Ace blinked at her.

"What if Kuro is the Rune for the Fairies?" he asked. Robin shook her head.

"Wouldn't be possible. Couldn't be. He was a vampire…" and then she paused for a moment.

"Robin's right! He was a vampire for god knows how long, and suddenly he becomes a Fairy and he's their Rune? No way that's going to happen." Nami scoffed. Ace shook his head.

"But Robin said he's always been blood thirsty, and self involved. Both main characteristics of a Fairy!"

"…I believe Pyro-san is making complete sense... It, it could be true! It certainly may be!" and Robin put a hand over her mouth, "He knows everything… everything about us. And Luffy…" and she looked up at Nami.

"What do we do?" Ace asked. Robin shook her head.

"There's nothing we can do." The room went silent.

---

Luffy blinked down at the long, and very dark tunnel before him. It looked like a long way, but then looks could be deceiving and Luffy wasn't one to be deceived… well, not when it came to things like this and fighting.

"Looks like a horrible place." Zoro commented beside him. Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"It is. Let's go." and he moved into the tunnel. Zoro sighed. Luffy was still pissy about what had happened then. That made life easy, didn't it. Biting back the retort that he longed to throw at Luffy's retreating back, Zoro followed. This darkness… it was absolute. Almost… like it was trying to smother him. Getting in his lungs and making Zoro cough as he walked. Every now and again, Luffy would ask in a soft, almost faraway voice if he was okay, and Zoro always said he was.

But, damn this place! It was making him wheeze, and cough, and generally feel as unhealthy as a hundred year old man. He couldn't move, his legs were too stiff. Sweat was rolling down his forehead and back, making him cold and causing him to shiver. Luffy's steps were barely echoing back to him now, and Zoro was beginning to fear they had gotten separated. That would happen! Of course it would! Everything else had happened to Zoro in the past month… or whatever it had been. And it had all been because of Luffy! If he had never met Luffy, then he wouldn't have had to put up with all this crap! Stopping for a minute, he managed to wheeze out Luffy's name and the footsteps stopped.

"You okay, Zoro?" Luffy asked, for about the thirtieth time that night. Zoro blinked.

"I can barely see you." he coughed. Luffy made a small noise of annoyance and then a hand clasped his.

"It's the darkness. It doesn't affect you if you're supernatural, but it can kill a human if they stay in it long enough."

"Thanks for the info. You tell me this _after _we get halfway in here!?" Zoro yelled, his voice echoing and making Luffy wince slightly.

"Don't yell in here. You'll wake something up. Or worse, you'll cause a rock fall." Luffy growled. He sounded oddly… grouchy. But Zoro found that the anger didn't seem to be directed towards him, but towards something else. Luffy tugged his hand and Zoro followed, hanging off of the rubber boy's thin fingers for dear life. He had no idea where he was going, his legs were like jelly, and to make things worse, he now knew that this damn darkness stuff could kill him! Life just got better and better, didn't it?

"What did you mean 'wake something up'?" Zoro asked when he had regained a little of his breath. Luffy shrugged, the motion only felt, and not seen as the hand in Zoro's had moved with the motion.

"I heard about a few things down here, they can hide in the dark and hurt you. But they sleep all the time, and only wake up when they hear something really loud."

"…oops."

"Never mind. Let's just keep moving. I can smell fresh air ahead." Luffy said. Zoro decided, this coldness towards him, had to stop. He didn't like it one bit. Luffy was driving an ice cold dagger further and further into Zoro's heart every time a harsh word was spoken. No sir, Zoro did not like it one single bit.

"Listen, Luffy…" he began, "I'm sorry okay? I was just trying to save the hat for you because it meant so much to you. That's all." and Luffy's hand slackened slightly in his.

"Really? You were doing it for me?" Luffy asked after a long silence in which Zoro was sure he was going to be punched. But, the fist never made contact, and Zoro was pleased when Luffy responded.

"Yes. You're annoying when you're all sad, and mopey and miserable." Zoro commented dryly. Luffy chuckled.

"So you're saying you like the happy, bouncy me?"

"…I didn't say that." 

"It sounded like it. What me do you like then?"

"What does it matter?"

"It matters!"

"I don't know. I guess I like the happy you." Zoro replied, a wave of uncomfortableness hitting him like a brick house. Luffy was going into unknown territory, but Zoro was sure the boy didn't even know it. After all, Luffy was pretty clueless… wasn't he? No, Luffy wouldn't know that deep down, Zoro really felt for him. He couldn't possibly! Wait… had he just admitted that to himself? Oh crap. He had been trying to deny that stupid feeling. It interfered with everything in his life! Stupid love. In front, Luffy chuckled as his hand tightened in Zoro's once more.

"Okay. I'll be the happy me from now on!" and they moved into a corridor that was flooded with light. Luffy walked straight into it and blinked, looking around.

"That could have been sunlight!" Zoro yelled. Luffy turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"If it had of been sunlight, you would have seen me running in the opposite direction. We have a sense that allows us to know if there is any sunlight nearby, and we instinctively run from it. It's a knee-jerk reaction." and Luffy grinned. Zoro blinked. Was it just him, or, was Luffy making sense? Wow, that didn't happen very often did it? Anyway, on to other things! Luffy strode along the corridor, his hand still in Zoro's, but the swordsman didn't even notice. His mind was too preoccupied by the pictures on the walls. Luffy was looking at them too, and he was narrowing his eyes every now and again, muttering to himself. Zoro had to ask.

"What are they?"

"Don't know." Luffy responded. Zoro rolled his eyes. Did he really expect an answer? The pictures passed and Zoro promptly forgot them in favour of a new tunnel stretching before them, and the stench that was rising from it. Luffy moved in, letting Zoro's hand go and peering down it before turning back.

"We have to go down." he said happily, and then did so.

"This place stinks." Zoro commented as he followed Luffy down through the tunnel. Faraway, a drip could be heard and it was driving Zoro insane. Luffy chuckled to himself.

"You kicked those Fairies' butts though!" he cried, the echo making a few rats screech nearby. Zoro smirked to himself at the praise.

"Thanks. You didn't do so bad yourself."

"Of course! I kick ass!" Luffy responded and then they moved out into a chamber. Looking around, Luffy let out a gasp of awe. It was huge! And looked as though once it had been covered with silver plating that had tarnished over time. Lounge chairs lay about the room, chewed and moth eaten with some of their springs showing. Stuffing was overflowing from an armrest and Zoro idly pulled at it as he looked around. He turned back to Luffy and smirked.

"Awesome place this, isn't it?" he asked. Luffy nodded and then he paused. How long had they been down here? How long had they been moving away from the base? Shanks had said he would find them, but, how would he find them down here? Kuro had more chance of finding Luffy considering their relationship.

A while, Luffy could make out, that they had been gone… and at least seven days since he had last eaten. Zoro kicked at a rock, and the sound echoed twenty times louder in Luffy's sensitive ears as his vampire instinct began to take over. His eyes began to glow, and his teeth sharpened. Adrenaline pumped through his body.

"Hey Luffy," Zoro called, not knowing what was going on behind him, "Look at this." and he bent down to pick up something. Luffy rolled his neck back and smiled as he saw Zoro. Primal instincts began to kick in as Luffy's feral side took over, urging him to do what he wanted, when he wanted. And he wanted to eat, and he wanted to mate. Zoro was now sitting in one of the chairs and taking off his shoes, cursing about rocks and dirt in them.

Luffy strode over, hips swaying and eyes set firmly upon Zoro's neck as claws extended from the tips of his fingers. This was a natural instinct for a vampire who hadn't eaten in days. Everything in their bodies, turned upside down. They needed every kind of pleasure at once, and now Luffy had a target, he wouldn't stop. He could control this feral side usually, but, he had never ever not eaten for nine days straight. Feral. It was strange to think of himself that way. Like an animal that had been on the streets too long, or a stray cat. Vampires were part cat really. They were human relatives of the cat, with the teeth and enhanced hearing, light agility and confident nature.

"Hey Luffy? You okay back there?" Zoro asked and turned around. Luffy was gone in a flash, and then straight in front of him, making Zoro jerk around and watch Luffy with concern. He felt fear, and he knew what that meant. Luffy laid his hands on Zoro's knees, bending forward slightly and moving his face closer to his friend's and smirked at Zoro with extended teeth.

"Zoro…" he breathed before bringing his hands up and placing them on the swordsman's shoulders. He leaned forward and licked quickly at Zoro's lips and then placed his own over Zoro's, making the man's eyes widen in shock and surprise before sliding closed again. Bringing one long leg up, Luffy laid it beside Zoro's hip but the green haired man didn't seem to notice; he was far too intoxicated by the way Luffy had captured his mouth, pillaging it and setting everything inside him on fire.

As Luffy's tongue ran along his bottom lip before ploughing into his mouth and fighting with his own he couldn't help but let loose a quiet moan. Luffy tasted of copper and darkness. Zoro knew he had gone feral, but, the strength and warmth pressing against him was too good for him to deny. It almost felt as if he was being hypnotised all over again, losing control of his body as Luffy's pressed against his own, exciting his skin and making his blood pump faster, but this time, unlike when he felt his muscles constrict and tense, he felt his body relaxing under Luffy's skilful touches.

The fangs in Luffy's mouth gently scraped at his lower lip, but it was a good pain, one that only fuelled him to press harder into the kiss, savouring Luffy's unique taste. The vampire's other leg came up on the other side so that he was now straddling Zoro's hips against the chair, and Zoro put his hands on Luffy's shoulders pulling him closer and holding him steady. Luffy was moving against him, and damn if it didn't feel good. Hands were roving all over him, and that tongue was igniting his skin as it slid down his neck, making him shiver slightly as the light breeze in the area blew against the wet trail left behind.

The young vampire had moved from Zoro's mouth, kissing and licking his way to the lower part of his neck before suckling gently at the soft skin. Zoro's fingers tensed on Luffy's shoulders before he pulled down slightly, encouraging Luffy to suck just a little harder. Hands with lightly sharpened edges raked gently at his chest and the back of his neck, scratching into the base of his hair and making the dark haired vampire smirk against Zoro's heated skin as he felt the man relaxing even more under his touch.

Luffy began sucking harder at his throat, teeth lightly raking his skin and leaving thin lines of blood, and Zoro had to fight to stop himself from moaning, but his fingers tightened on those thin shoulders, breath hitching in his throat. The green haired man pushed him back and blinked through the haze of his lust, up at dark eyes that were glowing and he could feel his own resolve fading away and Luffy pressed against him again.

He felt himself falling deeper and deeper into the feeling until he knew he would no longer be able to resist. Leaning his neck to the side to give Luffy better access, Zoro's grip tightened on the boy as he leaned forward once more and continued to suck on the tender skin of his neck. The young vampire could taste the blood on his tongue left from his teeth scraping against his Zoro's neck.

The cuts were light but the blood was like a drug, registering in his mind as food. Blood… lust… love… mixing all into one and making him want to bite, to drink, to feed. The draw was even worse than it would be for a normal vampire because he drank the blood from animal meat instead of humans. His eyes glowed a deep red, half closing as he breathed heavily, losing the battle of control very quickly.

_I shouldn't be doing this… I can't suck blood,_ Luffy thought, _But, I just can't resist… _And he bit. Twin needles sunk deep into Zoro's neck and Luffy let out a long moan of pleasure as Zoro blood filled his mouth, lighting his veins on fire with adrenaline and the need for more. Zoro gasped in shock and pain. Not good pain this time. It was… it hurt damn it! He made to move away, but Luffy's hands clamped him to the old couch and he couldn't move. Knees clamped on his hips and Luffy began to drink. Every bit of lust faded from within Zoro and he twitched in pain, trying to get free. Hands rose to pull at the young vampire's hair and push at his thin shoulders, but Luffy wouldn't so much as budge, biting down harder to keep him steady.

"Lu…ffy?" Zoro gasped out. The pain really was incredible. Like fire was running through his veins, and then burning him from the inside out before he felt an invisible tug that made him gasp again. Zoro began to struggle, trying to move his legs from that bone crushing grip, but normal Vampire's were strong, and feral ones were pure danger. He could feel his life dying away, his heart slowing while Luffy continued to drink.

His eyelids started to droop and his breath came out in quick gasps which eventually changed to shallow, slow breaths until finally, Zoro's arms fell limp from Luffy's shoulders, and his body convulsed in one last struggle, his head dropping back against the couch before falling still. Luffy suddenly came back to himself as the man in his arms grew still and silent. His eyes widened as he saw what he'd done and he quickly pulled back wiping his chin. Blood was running freely down Zoro's neck and Luffy pressed a hand over it.

"Zoro?" Luffy whispered before becoming more frenzied, "Zoro! I'm sorry! I didn't…" and he gave the swordsman a shake, but there was no response. Zoro's eyes were glazed over and barely open, and he was pale as death.

"Zoro!" Luffy cried again, shaking him more violently this time. Still no response. What was he going to do? How could… how could he have done this to Zoro!? Zoro was his friend, his best friend. The only human he had ever come into contact with, and now… oh now. Now Luffy had killed him. Luffy shook his head in distress and pushed down on the blood bubbling from Zoro's neck. He had been so intoxicated by that coppery taste, the warmth as it slid down his throat and the salty taste of it, he'd never enjoyed it so much before.

The few times he'd been forced to drink blood before and when he had first been converted, it had all been about the food and power that the blood would bring, but this time it was so different. Shaking his head, Luffy scrambled away from Zoro and spat out the last remnants of blood in his mouth. He hated that taste… hated it more than ever now. But he couldn't deny the attraction he had felt to Zoro then. The way he had just wanted to jump him then and there.

It wasn't just the taste of blood, or food that he wanted any more … it was Zoro. He wanted to feel Zoro against him, and it was him through that muddled lust and primal urge that came with becoming feral. Luffy couldn't even look at Zoro without feeling that urge rise within him again and he shuddered. He wanted Zoro… so badly! Luffy turned his face completely away. He wouldn't get Zoro now.

Not if he didn't do something soon, and Luffy's breathing became heavy as he realized what he needed to do. Standing, Luffy looked back at Zoro and slapped back his urges, and lust. Yes. Only one thing to save Zoro, and Luffy was lucky Shanks had taught it to him. He looked at the blood oozing its way from the deep bite in Zoro's neck and knew there was no choice

"_Luffy, if you and Zoro are in the same place, and he is near death, then you need to know this. You need to know… how to convert him." Shanks said. _

Luffy shook his head and gazed down at Zoro. He wanted Zoro by his side, with him always. He would have to do it… as much as he hated it.

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**I warned you! Told you it was a strong LuZo chapter!! -nods- So don't bitch to me if you read it without realising! I warned you! -smirk- **

**Dun dun dun. Oh, darn, guess I went and made another cliffhanger. gee, that seems to happen a lot. **

**Readers: We sense a certain degree of sarcasm in that sentence.**

**Plushie: Yeth, yeth you do. **


	14. Transformation

**So, we're on to another chapter. With any luck, this chapter will clarify a few things. -crosses fingers- **

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 14: Transformation**_

Luffy blinked tiredly from his spot against the wall. He had done it, he had converted Zoro the best he could, but he really wasn't sure if it was going to be enough. The swordsman was pale, and cold as death. His heart wasn't beating, and he wasn't breathing and this attributed to Luffy's fear that he had killed Zoro instead of converting him. It horrified, and frightened Luffy, like nothing ever had before. He had never, as long as he could remember, bitten a human like that. Had never done anything like that before. Sure, he'd lost control, but Shanks had always been there to bring him out of it, and calm him down again.

And if not Shanks, then the rest of the vampire population. Luffy couldn't help but feel, deep down inside, the most deep and dark guilt, that he had ever had before. How could other rogue vampires, or Fairies, do things like this? Partake of others' blood and let them die? Didn't they have consciences, or was it _because _they didn't have a sense of guilt, that they were able to do what they wanted? It all seemed so scary to Luffy. Drawing his knees slowly up to his chin, Luffy could still feel his teeth rubbing his bottom lip, could still taste Zoro's blood in his mouth.

Could still feel the way the skin had been so easy to pierce with his needle teeth… and Luffy cut his desire off at the pass. No way in hell was he going to do anything like that again, and nothing in the world would make him. Slowly, Luffy felt his eyelids drooping and then his head lolled forward and he was in a deep sleep. Dreams and nightmares wove together like a pair of snakes, in an out of his mind as he slept. A dream about walking in the sun, was punctuated by a nightmare of Zoro never waking. A dream of everything turning out fine, was sliced in half by a nightmare of Kuro returning to kill Zoro properly. But the last dream that Luffy had, was a memory.

_Shanks hurried Luffy into the room and closed the door after him. _

"_Luffy, there's something you need to know." Shanks said. Luffy had never seen him so serious before. _

"_What is it?" Luffy asked, tilting his head and sticking his hands into his pockets. _

"_You know how when you lose control sometimes, you tend to become twice as powerful and three times as deadly?" Shanks asked. Luffy narrowed his eyes._

"_All feral vampires do that." _

"_No… they don't. It may seem that way, but they don't gain as much strength as you do, nor as much blood lust. Luffy, we should have told you this earlier. All the elders, but, now, I believe you really need to know. A long time ago, when the first vampire, myself, and the first fairy were created, there was also two other beings created in secret that would remain hidden until the time was right. The true Fairy, and the true Vampire. The Rune, they were called, and they were to be ten times stronger, ten times more blood thirsty, and great leaders of battles and such. You following me?" Shanks asked, pacing the room. Luffy nodded, his eyes wide. He wasn't missing a word of this._

"_Good. Well, that was what sparked the controversy between the Vampires, and the Fairies, for both believed that their Rune, was the stronger, the more powerful, and the more important. So, they decided to war, or, more correctly, the Fairies decided to war. They wanted to prove to the Vampires that they were the stronger. The war was going alright, until it was discovered that within a few years' time, the Runes were going to be released and recognised. This worried, and excited both sides and the fighting took on a whole new aggression. The Vampires were beaten back, and the mortals began to suspect something more was happening. Before, they had been living in an okay peace, knowing that something was happening, but not really sure what._

"_Anyway, the mortals realized that their disappearances and such, were not just coincidences and not as rare as they used to be either. And then, the Fairies went ballistic. Something had set them off, making them wild. We don't know what, but, Robin suspected that it could have been the sheer thrill of the fight, the confidence and the cockiness, and the taste of human blood. After all those years, human blood became something they craved and needed otherwise, they would die."  
_

"_Is that why Vampires turn into Fairies if they drink human blood?" Luffy asked. Shanks shook his head._

"_No. They become Fairies because they let themselves become Fairies. It is very difficult to explain, and we do not have the time. Just suffice it to say, that the vampires who become fairies, lose themselves entirely." Shanks said, his tone hurried. Outside people were whispering, and the whispers were so frequent amongst the vampires, that it became like a constant hissing noise. Shanks sighed._

"_Luffy, do you get what I'm trying to tell you here?" he asked. Luffy blinked up at him and then bowed his head._

"_Shanks is saying that… I'm the Rune, right?" he said, looking back up at Shanks again with a determined face. Shanks nodded._

"_Yes… I'm sure of it. Luffy, you're going to have to leave. You're in too much danger, and you need to get away from it all in the build up to the eclipse, the time when you'll transform. There's nothing you can do, say, or even think to stop it. It _will _happen… no matter what." Shanks sighed. Luffy bowed his head again._

"_That's okay. If that's what I'm for, then, that's what I'm for, ne?" and he grinned up at the older vampire. Shanks smiled back._

"_There's another thing yet." Shanks said when Luffy was about to move out the door. Pausing, Luffy looked back, "You care for Zoro a lot, don't you?" _

"_Of course!" and Luffy chuckled._

"_Luffy, if you and Zoro are together, and he is near death, then you need to know this. You need to know… how to convert him." Shanks said and stared at Luffy as the room went silent. Luffy rose his chin up, and frowned._

"_Why? Why would I need to do something like that? Zoro's fine the way he is, and he doesn't even care that I'm a vampire! He's my best friend!" _

"_Luffy, you've known him for barely two or three weeks." Shanks tried to reason. _

"_Yeah! That's long enough to become best friends!" Luffy cried. Shanks sighed. Luffy was unreasonable… but the truth was there. Zoro and Luffy had been nearly inseparable since the moment they met. May have started off a little rocky too, but, that was beside the point. Shanks smiled at Luffy._

"_Trust me on this, okay? Just, let me tell you how so if you do ever need to convert him, then you'll know. Okay?" _

"…_okay." Luffy mumbled. Shanks began to explain and Luffy listened intently. _

_---_

Luffy jerked awake as a loud growl caught his attention. He blinked bleary eyes, found hat lying on the floor nearby, and then placed it upon his head before standing and cautiously peering at Zoro. The swordsman was twisting and turning, bucking in his sleep and sweating. Luffy had never seen anything like this before, and he was worried and frightened at the same time. Shanks had never mentioned this. Zoro continued bucking, and twisting and turning, the springs in the couch underneath him dangerously close to their breaking point. Frowning in a determined way, Luffy moved forward and pinned Zoro's arms and knees to the couch, holding him still.

"C'mon Zoro! Hold still! You're gonna hurt yourself!" he cried desperately, trying to calm the swordsman down, but nothing he said or did seemed to work. Zoro continued to twist and thrash about, grunts coming from his lips every few thrashes. It was a frightening sight for Luffy, and finally the young vampire grit his teeth and yelled.

"ZORO! STOP!" he screamed, the yell echoing through the room and coming back to him in a softer tone. Zoro thrashed a few more times before indeed becoming still and laying splayed on the couch, sweat rolling down his forehead and his mouth wide open. Slowly, two canine teeth were extending beyond normal human lengths, and Luffy spotted them and his eyes narrowed.

"This shouldn't be causing you so much pain…" he mumbled as he slid back down to the floor again, one hand still resting on Zoro's chest, and Luffy noticeably felt the absence of Zoro's beating heart. It was hard to believe something like this had happened, or at least, it was hard for _Luffy _to believe. And he didn't even want to think about that strange, empty void that kept making it's presence known in his mind, creeping up and clawing at his conscious like an annoying little kitten.

He had a feeling it would be something bad, and really didn't want to acknowledge it right now, so, it was pushed to the back of his mind and left there. Zoro was his main worry right now. Standing slowly, Luffy began making for the edge of the room again, looking for some rats or something to satiate his appetite, and Zoro's when he woke. No way in hell was he going to let Zoro drink human blood. That was just not on. As Luffy walked, he continued to think.

"Must be my fault…" he mumbled to himself when every possible scenario had gone through his mind and then played over and over again about a million times until he had only been able to come to one conclusion. The words seemed to ring in the silence as Luffy paused and sighed. He had either done something wrong, or he just wasn't experienced enough. Either way, something had gone wrong. Luffy's eyes were drawn back to Zoro's motionless form, and he couldn't help but notice the way Zoro seemed to thrash every now and again, or make a violent move in his sleep. It was both frightening… and it made Luffy feel even worse.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, Luffy turned away again, forcing his eyes to move from Zoro's form. Spotting a few rats lingering in a corner, Luffy frowned at them. This was below him, and he wasn't going to do it. Zoro let out a slight groan and Luffy growled low in his throat. He was going to have to. So they could both survive until Zoro came around again. Luffy hesitated, and the rats scattered, making Luffy curse loudly. The rats, hearing this new and strange and terrifying noise, bolted completely. Under the very couch Zoro was laying on, through Luffy's legs and into tiny cracks in the walls.

Anywhere, and everywhere they hid, and Luffy felt like just smashing a wall open and getting them that way. But, from the looks of this place, doing something like that could be potentially dangerous. Luffy wasn't stupid, though he sometimes acted it. But, acting stupid was a good way to get a funny reaction from someone. Especially Zoro. He had this weird glare that he would give Luffy, and it seemed reserved just for Luffy too. A sort of, half raised eyebrow, and a smirk that trailed into a weird frown. As Luffy thought upon this, a smile began to cross his face. A loud squeak announced that Luffy's theory of a rat hiding underneath an old chest of drawers in the corner, was in fact right.

"Heh…" Luffy noised, kneeling down and narrowing his eyes, almost like a cat waiting for it's prey to appear. Which, really, wasn't that far from the truth. Finally, the rat, thinking that it was safe, ran straight out from underneath the chest of drawers, and straight into Luffy's sharp finger nailed hands.

"Ha ha, gotcha." Luffy hissed as the rat struggled in his hand. And then the unthinkable happened… Luffy's heart went out to the rat. After all, the poor creature hadn't done anything wrong, and Luffy was sure that he wouldn't want someone catching him and eating him just because. But they needed to eat. Luffy's lips twisted and he slowly began to inch the rat back towards the ground again.

The poor thing struggled for dear life in Luffy's grip, small black eyes bulging with terror, and frightened squeaks coming from it's mouth. Front feet scrabbled at the ground and Luffy was tempted to set it down, but he was even more tempted just to eat the rat and get it over with. Luffy crouched silently in his spot, the rat squeaking almost tiredly now until Luffy sighed and stood again, letting the rat's tail go.

Sooner or later, he would have to do it. They could survive only so long without food. Looking over at Zoro, Luffy's eyes drooped. This, here and now, truly was a sad existence. He moved over to the couch again, and slumped down against the side, letting his head fall back against the soft cushion, and raising his knees so he could sling his arms across them. Vaguely, Luffy wondered if it was Zoro's memories causing him this much pain. Surely they must be being erased, but, should it take this long? Or was it supposed to happen instantly? Luffy gripped his head between his hands and sighed deeply. How much longer would this take?

---

What roused Luffy from his sleep next, he didn't know. One minute, he had been dreaming about food, and the next… he was awake. Looking around, Luffy noted that the room seemed colder and darker than before. And a light breeze was coming from somewhere. Sitting up from his slumped position, Luffy peered over the top of the armrest on the couch and his eyes widened.

Zoro was gone.

"…uh oh." Luffy mumbled and stood up, looking around the room a little desperately, "Zoro?" There was no response. Luffy stepped carefully around to look down at the couch, and noticed the long scratch marks down the backrest and leaned in towards them. Fresh, and deep. The next thing Luffy knew, he was upside down against the far wall, legs leaning against the wall above him and a horribly throbbing pain in the middle of his back.

Groaning slightly, Luffy let himself drop back to the floor and rubbed at his head while looking around. Nothing. Standing up, Luffy twisted himself (beyond human limits mind you) and looked at his back. Nothing there, it was a dull hit. No blood or anything. Good. Because if Luffy thought what was happening, was actually _happening, _then he would have to make sure there was none of his own blood spilt. That could be potentially bad.

"Zoro…" Luffy said again, and this time his eyes caught the movement. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a flicker of silver, and then Zoro was there, slashing with his swords. Luffy jumped backwards and was barely missed by the lethal blades. Zoro now stood there, still and silent but his chest was heaving. Not needing to breathe, the movement was more reaction than anything else. Luffy took a step backwards, and Zoro's lip rose slowly, a growl coming from his throat.

Glowing green eyes made Luffy feel a slight tug on his mind, and he let his own eyes begin glowing too, to stop the effect. Long sharp teeth were very apparent, even in the dim light and Luffy let his own teeth show in hopes of calming Zoro, and making the other vampire realize that Luffy wasn't human, and therefore not food. Instead, it goaded Zoro into leaping forward and forsaking his swords in favour of trying to bite Luffy. This caused the dark haired youth to yelp and leap out of the way again. Zoro snarled as he twisted around, and he looked down at his own hands and almost smirked as long claws began to grow.

"Come on Zoro! It's me!" Luffy cried. Zoro looked up at him, his head rising defiantly and a look of hunger passed across his face. Frowning, Luffy threw himself out of the way, just as Zoro jumped at him again. This was ridiculous! How was he going to get Zoro to calm down. The green haired human, changed vampire, had intelligence there… he just wasn't using it. Well, not in the way Luffy would have liked. Maybe Luffy had to get Zoro to eat something. Maybe that would help. So, Luffy decided on knocking Zoro out and then finding some more rats to give the swordsman so he wouldn't try to eat Luffy instead. That could be potentially problematic.

Zoro dived at Luffy again, who twisted out of the way and drove his knee up into Zoro's stomach. The swordsman let out a gasp and dropped to the floor on all fours, holding his stomach and grimacing. Good thing about not breathing, you don't get winded. Soon, Zoro was rising to his feet again, his eyes taking on a more wary look. Hands were held in a defensive position on either side and he was tensed up, body coiled and ready. The two circled each other for a moment and Zoro leapt forward again, this time going for Luffy's legs and trying to sweep them from beneath the boy.

Luffy jumped over the leg, but then had the other leg coming right for his hip. Rubber time. Throwing his arms up, Luffy hoped to find something to grip on the roof, and indeed he did. An old lamp was hanging there, and Luffy gripped it and pulled himself up and out of Zoro's reach. Zoro snarled at him from below, hands reaching up to try and grab at Luffy's dangling feet. After about ten tries at it, Zoro gave up and instead contented himself with crouching on the floor, and watching Luffy dangle above him, like a cat watching a bird in a tree. Luffy was thinking as fast as he could, trying to see a way out of the current situation.

He briefly considered swinging over, and pushing himself off the wall and flying across the room to the other side, and finding the rats there. That idea was thrown out the proverbial window, when the lamp holding him up… broke. He was sent crashing back to the floor, where he rolled for a moment, lamenting the fact that both his knees and elbows now hurt. Well, that was the least of his problems right now. Much to Luffy's misfortune, he had landed right in front of Zoro and was now being watched hungrily.

"…not good." Luffy muttered and then rolled out of the way as Zoro dived at him. Sharp nailed hands scraped the floor where Luffy had been a moment before, and then Zoro was at Luffy again, trying to hold him so he could have a meal. Having had enough of dodging, twisting and turning, Luffy slammed a leg right into Zoro's side and sent him flying across the room and into the wall. A nasty crunch resounded from the swordsman hitting said wall, and Luffy winced.

Maybe he had kicked a bit too hard. Zoro dropped to the floor and rolled over, coughing slightly and groaning in pain. Luffy let out a sigh. As long as Zoro was alive (so to speak) then he would be okay. Getting quickly to his feet, Luffy hurried over to the corner he had found the rats in before. Another group of them were writhing there, squeaking and squealing as they fought over something another rat had found.

Grimacing, Luffy whipped out a hand and grabbed four, but one managed to struggle from his grasp and scurry away. Not bothering with it, Luffy held tight to the remaining three and hurried back over to Zoro, who was beginning to recover. The new vampire snarled, and hissed at him but Luffy shoved a rat into Zoro's mouth.

"Eat that." Luffy snapped in an annoyed tone. Zoro blinked in shock for a moment, but then he bit down. It was a disgusting sight really, but Luffy watched, making sure Zoro didn't forsake the rat in favour of coming after him again. Letting out a loud sigh of relief when Zoro was quite happily munching on his rat, Luffy let himself drop to the ground. Crossing his legs, Luffy settled down to eat his own rat, eyes still watching Zoro. After he had finished his rat, Luffy saw Zoro eyeing his second one rather hungrily. Deciding that his hunger could wait (for once) Luffy let Zoro have the second one. It was time to see what Zoro could remember, or what he could do.

"Zoro?" Luffy asked, and the man stopped for minute, blinking a little angrily at Luffy for disturbing him, and then went back to his rat again, "Can you understand me?" No response. Sighing, Luffy began to think of another way of making the other vampire listen to him. Gestures maybe?

"Zoro." Luffy said, and the other vampire looked up again, this time thoroughly annoyed. Luffy thought for a second before pointing at Zoro, then his own ears and his own chest. Zoro blinked at him, eyes narrowing for a moment, before the vampire turned his back on him. Luffy blinked.

"Hey!" he almost whined. Zoro paid him no heed and finished his rat. Luffy pouted. That hadn't been a very nice response. Standing up, Luffy moved around in front of Zoro, who was licking the last of the rat's blood from his fingers, but stopped when Luffy came into view. A snarl and a hiss was all Luffy got, before Zoro stood and moved back over to where his swords lay on the ground. Frowning angrily, Luffy glared after Zoro, as the swordsman picked up his weapons and replaced them in their sheaths at his hip. He smiled to himself and gave them a quick pat before turning back to Luffy again. This time, he watched Luffy curiously instead of hungry.

"Can you even talk?" Luffy asked, a little irritably. Zoro just blinked slowly at him, as if making sure Luffy wasn't a threat. Luffy scoffed and then sighed. He didn't need to be this angry, but damnit, Zoro was ignoring him! Luffy took a deep breath, more for trying to calm himself down than anything else, and then let it out.

"Ok. Let's try this again." and he moved towards Zoro, who looked wary. Pausing, Luffy smiled at Zoro. It seemed that Zoro had forgotten everything, rather than just the memories of his previous life. Zoro knew by instinct how to feed, walk, run, fight and things like that. But he didn't know how to talk, or how to comprehend words. That was a little worrying. So, basically, it meant Luffy would have to start from the beginning.

Teach him how to understand, and speak. And how to differ enemies from friends, and food from things that weren't food. In other words… Luffy had a lot to do. He was about to move another step closer, when Zoro suddenly looked around in a frightened way, his eyes wide and his stance becoming defensive instead of offensive. Luffy blinked and then Zoro began to cry! Luffy's eyebrows rose as the swordsman dropped to the ground in crouch and sobbed. What the hell!?

"Zoro!" Luffy panicked and moved over to crouch beside the green haired man. Zoro stopped abruptly and stood up again, growling and snarling. Okay… so Zoro's emotions were shot too. Great. Standing up tiredly, Luffy gazed at Zoro as the man continued to growl at him. Begging Zoro to remember him wasn't going to help this situation, and neither was getting angry with him. It seemed that Luffy would just have to make Zoro understand that Luffy was a friend. How? He didn't know. Going out on a limb, Luffy bowed his head slightly at Zoro, and then smiled.

"Friend." he said. Zoro eyed him, inching away again. How was he going to make Zoro understand words!? Thinking a little desperately as Zoro began looking towards the exit from the room, Luffy shook his head vigorously at Zoro, who stopped to watch. Luffy pointed at himself, and Zoro watched curiously as Luffy made various signals. Trying to convey his message, Luffy felt slightly foolish, but there was nothing else he could do.

So he continued. Finally, Zoro's eyes became a little less wary, and a little more curious and he moved slowly towards Luffy. Green eyes darted between Luffy's darker ones, and Luffy kept still as Zoro approached. Finally, Zoro was standing basically toe to toe with Luffy, and the taller leaned down a little obviously catching Luffy's scent. Luffy's fingers twitched, and Zoro scrambled back, growling in the back of his throat and once again on guard. But this time, it took half the time for Zoro to become curious enough to come back to Luffy again. When he did, he finally (after much pushing, prodding and sniffing) decided that Luffy was not food, or an enemy, and stepped back to watch Luffy. What now?

"Luffy." Luffy said, trying to make Zoro understand his name. Zoro blinked at him and tilted his head before a predatory gleam came to his eye. Luffy's eyes widened as Zoro hissed and then the swordsman dived past Luffy to grab at a rat that had been sneaking along behind the boy, in hopes of reaching the couch before being noticed. The poor rat didn't even have the chance to squeak as Zoro grabbed it, and sunk his teeth into it's body. Luffy blinked and then smiled. So Zoro was more interested in rat's blood than his now. Good. That solved that problem. Kneeling down beside Zoro, Luffy pointed at the rat in his mouth.

"Food." he said. Zoro blinked back at him before his eyes trailed down to the body in his mouth. He looked back at Luffy again and a short burst of understanding came to his eyes. A muffled 'food' was repeated and Luffy smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought. Zoro finished his meal and yawned widely, before laying down on the floor, getting ready to go to sleep. Luffy blinked and then smirked. Zoro looked kind of cute like that, all curled up on the floor.

A green eye was still slitted open and pointed in Luffy's direction, but it was sleepy and Zoro yawned again. Luffy sat beside him and though of ways he could make Zoro understand different things. Food, friend, sleep and Luffy were a good start, but then Zoro would have to learn Yes and No. But Luffy had a feeling, that once Zoro had learned those basics, he would be better off and have a bit more of an understanding of the world around him.

Not to mention learning to talk properly, and become as literate and smart as he had been before being converted. Usually, after a conversion, the vampire would regain themselves, just not their full living memories. It was too hard for them to remember what it was like to be human, and would stress their lives to the point where they would want to die completely. Either that, or become angry and turn on other vampires, much like the Fairies had done. Luffy looked down and saw Zoro was now fast asleep, eyes shut and one hand laying on the floor in front of his face. Yawning himself, Luffy lay down a little way away, and watched Zoro until he too fell asleep.

Tomorrow, they would have to begin trying to find a way out of this maze.

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**A total Luffy and Zoro chapter, I know. But really, the others haven't got much else to do, other than mope around and hope Luffy doesn't die while he comes back, and that doesn't make for very interesting chapters. But they'll be re-involved soon, I promise. -nods- **

**Zoro is ooc because of his 'transformation' and he will probably be like this for a while. He has to go through it, just like Sanji did... but because of Luffy's inexperience, he's having a rougher time of it. You'll see why. **


	15. Home

**-throws a big 'THANKYOU' card to those who have reviewed- **

**Also, Luffy may have a dramatic change of character soon. Possibly even this chapter. Or the next. But it's time for Luffy to grow up, quite basically. He'll still be Luffy, but, well you'll see. I'll talk about it after it's written. **

**Once more, Zoro's ooc because of his transformation. Just to make sure. **

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_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 15: Home**_

Luffy awoke to something very warm pressed against him. He blinked for a moment upon waking, and tried to get rid of the green blur that seemed to be before his eyes, but once he had adjusted to being awake, Luffy realized that Zoro was laying in front of him. He was almost pressed chest to chest with Luffy, but his arms had been drawn up between them, his fists curled up under his chin. Luffy blinked some more and then rose an eyebrow.

This was rather… unexpected, to say the least. Looking around, Luffy noticed that the room was brighter again, and knew that it must have been daylight. Really, he should still be sleeping, but, he couldn't. He found he didn't need to. Luffy made to move away from Zoro, but the swordsman's face screwed up and he let out a short moan and wriggled after Luffy, chasing the warmth. Sighing, Luffy stayed where he was.

He smiled at Zoro and quietly reached up a hand to run it through the swordsman's hair. Zoro twitched, and shook his head a little at the light and ticklish touch. Luffy dropped the hand again and Zoro sighed deeply in his sleep. Luffy needed to move away somehow, not to get away from Zoro but for the sake of moving. Luffy wasn't a sit around and do nothing type of guy, he always wanted to be moving. It was his nature. Nothing he could do about it, even _if _it made him seem like a hyperactive little kid. There was nothing for it. He would have to wake Zoro up. Gently, Luffy shook Zoro's shoulder.

"Zoro." he said loudly, trying to rouse his friend. Zoro groaned and opened his still glowing green eyes and blinked at Luffy. A smile lit up his face.

"Luffy." he said. Luffy blinked and then smiled back. Zoro was learning quickly. Thank goodness for that.

"Right." he replied. Zoro became unsure, as he didn't know what the word meant, and Luffy nodded his head vigorously. Zoro's smile came back again and then he frowned.

"Food." he mumbled. Luffy looked around and then moved away from Zoro and stood up. Spotting some rats in the corner, Luffy pointed them out to Zoro, who looked over and then a hungry look crossed his face and he hurried over to them. Luffy rubbed a hand over his brow. Being that close to Zoro had been beginning to prove a little more than warm. Luffy looked around again. By now, he practically knew the room inside out. They would have to start moving today. Luffy had the sudden urgent need to return to the Hall. He needed to go back, and he needed to go back _**now.**_ Zoro was catching the rats in the corner, (the creatures didn't seem to be learning very quickly) and Luffy watched him for a minute before putting his hands on his hips.

"Zoro!" he barked. The swordsman paused and turned back to him, a rat's tail hanging from his mouth. Luffy shook his head and beckoned Zoro over. The green haired man cast a sad eye at the rats that were hiding under a rickety and rotten old table, before standing and moving over to Luffy again. He glared at Luffy vehemently but Luffy ignored it.

"We have to go back." he said aloud, despite the fact that Zoro didn't understand. Zoro blinked at him and Luffy began walking towards the tunnel out of the room. Zoro growled in the back of his throat, and Luffy paused and looked around. The swordsman wasn't following. Luffy frowned. He didn't have time for this but… he would have to deal with it.

"Zoro." and he made another beckoning motion. Zoro backed away even further, still growling. Luffy slapped a hand against his forehead. Zoro was… different like this, but god he would be glad when it was over. Luffy was about to move forward when a strange look overtook Zoro's face, and he dived forward, pinning Luffy to the wall. Feeling his face warm, Luffy struggled at the contact and made his own annoyance known through a loud and harsh growl.

Zoro wasn't listening, and instead was pressing Luffy against the wall and growling lowly in his ear. Luffy would have loved to have not known what was going on, but, he wasn't stupid… and he wasn't oblivious to his own feelings. As much as he would have loved to just let Zoro carry on, that urgency to go home was too strong.

"Zoro!" Luffy barked, and using his vampire strength, threw the taller green haired man off of him. Zoro hissed at him, and then dived forward again but Luffy drove his knee right up and Zoro stopped, groaning slightly and then whimpering as he fell to the side. Sighing deeply, Luffy wiped a hand across his over hot forehead.

"Tough. We have to go." Luffy growled and grabbing Zoro's arm, he began pulling the other vampire down the tunnel again. Stupid mixed up emotions. Luffy knew exactly how they felt, and in turn, knew exactly how Zoro felt. Lust had taken over, and it was one of the strongest feelings. The one that had caused Luffy to do so much harm to Zoro… Gritting his teeth as Zoro tottered along behind him, still in pain, Luffy began to focus on what he needed to do when he got back to the Hall. As long as he was the Rune, he wasn't going to let the Fairies take over.

---

Robin opened one eye slowly from where she was sitting in a large, high backed armchair. The room was silent and empty, being the middle of the day, and she got to her feet and looked around. For some reason, something compelled her to move towards the abandoned side of the Hall. As she walked, Robin let a smile drift across her face. In the shadows approaching her was a lithe, and familiar figure. Another, taller figure was following and Robin's smile widened.

"Luffy." she greeted, so relieved that she didn't even use his nickname. The figure paused and looked up, definitely Luffy. No mistaking the hat or thin body.

"Robin." Luffy replied in a voice that seemed almost…tired. Robin's relief fled and she hurried forward, hoping that nothing was wrong. Luffy came into sight as she got closer, and she saw how tired Luffy actually was. His skin was drawn and pale, and his eyes were drooping. What was wrong with him? And Zoro came into view and Robin stopped. She narrowed her eyes at Zoro, who hissed back at her angrily, tugging at Luffy's hand which was clasped firmly around his wrist.

"He's a vampire?" she asked and Luffy nodded. Robin sighed.

"Something happened… and I had to convert him." Luffy replied softly, and a hint of guilt filtered into his voice before he smiled, "But he's getting better. He's not so mixed up now. That's good, right?" Robin nodded.

"Yes. But…" and she paused in speaking her mind on the matter before deciding to change tact and go off in a completely different direction, "You need rest captain-san. And so does hum- um, -swordsman-san." and she smiled encouragingly. Luffy smiled in return and nodded.

"Okay Robin. Come on Zoro." and Luffy led the green haired vampire after him. Robin sighed deeply. They must have been travelling non-stop, and Robin also had a feeling she knew what had happened to make Zoro this way. Luffy had lost control… and bitten him. Robin leaned against the wall, and looked after the two as Luffy trudged down the corridor, Zoro following and looking around in a curious way.

Knowing their feelings for each other already, Robin smiled sadly. If Zoro had remained human, and Luffy vampire, then it would have been impossible for them to be together. It just didn't work that way. Luffy would have lived forever, and Zoro would have died before Luffy had even lived a full century. And despite the fact that they were now both vampires and able to hopefully go through with their relationship…it was a hard way for it to start. Hard on Luffy most of all.

"So, the human's a vampire now." Smoker's voice said beside her, as he seemed to just melt out of thin air. Robin nodded and turned to him. Smoker scoffed in the back of his throat and leaned his shoulder against the wall, arms crossed.

"Captain-san seems drained."

"Well whaddya expect?" Ace said, appearing on her other side. Robin might have been startled, if the two didn't do this to her all the time. They just materialized out of thin air, usually frightening the hell out of anyone who happened to be nearby at the time. Ace casually flicked his hand and a switch clicked, a light coming on above them. Robin sighed.

"I guess…" she began but trailed off.

"You expected them to come back fine, and happy, and perfectly healthy, right?" Smoker snorted, "You've gotta be kidding. I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner actually."

"Vampires are inexplicably drawn towards humans." Ace added. Robin nodded.

"I know that." she said softly. Ace and Smoker nodded.

"Well, he'll be a good asset." Smoker said, straightening and rolling his neck slightly.

"And Luffy'll be happier." Ace chimed in once again. Robin smiled.

"For a while… for a while." and then she turned and left the two standing alone in the hall.

---

Luffy was awoken by the sound and pain of Nami cracking him over the head with a tightly closed fist.

"You bastard!" she screeched at him and Luffy sat up, almost dislodging Zoro who had been using his arm as a pillow.

"Wha-!?" Luffy noised in a tired tone. Nami let out a loud scoff.

"Do you have any damn idea how worried I was about you!? Just disappearing like that! You not only owe me a decade's worth of whatever money you get, but, you owe me an apology!" and she cracked him across the skull again. Luffy squeaked and grabbed at his now severely aching cranium.

"N-Nami! I'm sorry!" Luffy cried, "But I was told by Shanks to go! I had to!" and he braced himself for another blow, but it never came. Zoro snored beside him, still leaning against his arm and Luffy tried to pry him off, but Zoro was holding tight. Hoping the coast was clear again, Luffy turned to Nami. She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Right. But still!" and she stood up again, pacing a little angrily.

"Nami-swaaaan!" came a cooing voice and Sanji trotted in, holding out a thin, long, and paper wrapped package towards Nami. He paused at the sight of Luffy lying in the bed, Zoro clutching to his arm…and commenced laughing his blonde head off.

"I knew it! Ha! I knew it!" Sanji cried, tears running down his cheeks from laughing that hard. Luffy blinked. This was confusing… What had Sanji known? Did he know that Luffy had turned Zoro into a vampire! That must have been it!

"I didn't do it on purpose!" he cried, "It was an accident!" and he panicked even harder when Sanji collapsed to the floor in hysterical laughter. Nami rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her own smile as she leaned down and took the package from Sanji's grip. Inspecting it for a moment, her eyes lit up as she turned to Sanji.

"Who fixed it?" she asked. Sanji immediately stopped laughing and gazed up at her as he picked himself up off the ground, and dusted off his black jacket and pants.

"I found the pieces and had Usopp fix it for you. He took a little convincing but…" and Sanji smirked, "He got the… _inspiration _to do it in the end." and he chuckled to himself. Nami raised an eyebrow and then thought it better not to ask. She unwrapped the package and gazed at the perfectly remade clima-tact that rolled out into her palm. It's wood was polished, and the timber was deep and heavy, giving it more leverage. Smiling, Nami turned to Sanji, who raised his chin a little with pride.

"Thankyou Sanji. Now, I need to find Usopp and thank him as well." and she moved towards the door, "Stay here and watch over these two, will you Sanji-kun?" and she winked at him seductively as she sauntered out. Sanji grinned goofily.

"Of course Nami-san!" he called after her and then sighed deeply before turning back to the two in front of him, one of which was thoroughly confused as to what the hell was going on, and the other could have been dead to the world for all the reaction he was showing. Sanji raised an eyebrow and then leaned back against the wall, sliding down it to rest on the floor. Drawing up on of his knees, Sanji laid one of his arms across the top of it. He continued to just watch them for a while, until Luffy yawned widely and was about to lay down again.

"So… how did Marimo-head become a Vampire then?" Sanji asked, getting tired of the silence that seemed to be smothering everything in the room. He flicked a spot of dust from his jacket and then turned a curious gaze on Luffy, who shrugged.

"He was converted." Luffy replied, purposely avoiding the subject as he lay down again and Zoro made a noise of anger. Sanji raised his delicately curled eyebrow and smirked.

"You bit him?" he asked. Luffy reacted so violently, that Sanji was sure the kid must have had someone light a fire under him. Throwing himself up so quickly that Zoro was instantly awoken, Luffy frowned down at Sanji.

"It was an accident." he hissed. Zoro yawned sleepily as he looked around and then his green eyes came to rest on Sanji, who wasn't paying any attention to him but instead watching Luffy. Zoro, who through the conversion had developed a bond with Luffy, instantly knew something was up and picked up on Luffy's anger… not to mention the fact that he hated Sanji anyway. A deep throated growl forced it's way up, and Zoro's teeth began to become longer, and his eyes glowed brilliant green. Luffy looked between them and caution, worry and… fear? All three came into Luffy's eyes at once.

"Zoro." he said warningly. But the former human wasn't listening, and with a nimble pounce, had landed on top of Sanji and was ripping at him. Sanji was replying in kind, and with Zoro sitting astride his hips, really had no choice but to use his hands.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled and leapt off the bed after the newest vampire, grabbing the taller and much thicker man around the waist and trying to drag him back away from Sanji. Zoro struggled against Luffy's grip, and Sanji let out a loud hiss and scrambled backwards as soon as Zoro's legs were unwrapped from his waist.

"He's fucking crazy!" Sanji yelled, wiping away the blood that was trickling from his mouth. Luffy frowned at Sanji but ignored him, still trying to stop Zoro from ripping Sanji to shreds.

"Get Smoker or someone to get rid of him!" Sanji continued, getting to his feet and glaring at Zoro. Luffy's head snapped around.

"Don't be so insensitive Sanji!" Luffy growled. Sanji blinked, taken aback that someone like Luffy had said words like that… to him! Frowning, Sanji spun on his heel and made for the door.

"Pets are cute until they turn on their owners… and that one will." Sanji commented and walked out. Luffy picked up a water jug and threw it after Sanji. There was a satisfyingly loud crash, followed by Sanji cursing in pain. Smirking, Luffy turned back to see Zoro watching him carefully.

"Forget him Zoro, he's an idiot. Go back to sleep." Luffy muttered. Zoro watched him for a few more seconds until Luffy realized that the green head didn't understand. Gesturing at the bed, Luffy made a motion that he hoped looked like someone sleeping. Zoro blinked and then nodded and laid back down on the bed, curling up into a ball and watching Luffy out of one slitted eye. Sighing, Luffy realized that unless he lay down, then Zoro wasn't going to sleep.

"Alright." he said aloud, even though Zoro wouldn't understand. Luffy was normally happy, and not inclined to lose his temper but… he was so tired, and worried about Zoro, and something else seemed to be taxing his energy as well. He wasn't sure what, but, it was annoying, he knew that much. He was about to drift off to sleep, when Robin walked in.

---

Nami winced as she heard the enraged scream that came from Luffy's room. He had learned then. Barely holding her own tears in, Nami continued sketching out finer details upon a map of the local town and area. Usopp was watching her, and Sanji was cursing Zoro under his breath as he prodded his healing lip and then looked down at the scratches at his throat and hands.

"He's a fucking lunatic." Sanji muttered particularly vehemently as the wounds on his hands begun to heal. Nami frowned but didn't comment, a little worried at the complete silence that had followed Luffy's scream. It was worrying… and disturbing. What if Luffy had done something? Something drastic? Luffy wouldn't do anything like that, but then… and Nami stood up so suddenly that Usopp jumped.

"I'm going to see if everything's okay." and she hurried away. Usopp watched her for a moment, before letting his eyes slide across to Sanji, who raised his swirly eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" Usopp asked. Sanji looked after Nami, glanced back at Usopp and then hurried after the worried redhead. Smirking to himself, Usopp pulled out a roll of paper from his back pocket and laid it on the table, unrolling it and smiling at the picture he had been drawing. Sun shining, trees gently swaying in a soft breeze. Usopp's smile fell, as he looked upon the delicate lady that was standing beneath a large oak tree, her blonde hair gently fanning out behind her, while one hand had risen to try and capture the gently blowing hair behind her ear. Raising his arm, Usopp placed his elbow on the table and leant his head on his hand.

_Kaya…_

_---_

Nami arrived just in time to see Luffy charge out past her. He stormed away down the corridor, his fists clenched and the straw hat on his head, askew. She sighed deeply and looked into the room to see Robin leaning against the wall in the shadows, her arms limp by her sides while Zoro sat on the bed, looking around in confusion.

"Luffy." he mumbled when Nami walked in, and she raised an eyebrow before pointing in the direction Luffy had gone. In a flash of movement, Zoro was gone from the room and hurrying after Luffy.

"Geeze, and I thought Sanji was clingy." Nami muttered to herself as she sat down on the bed. Robin was silent.

"Is he alright?" a voice asked softly from the door, and Nami turned to see Sanji leaning against the frame, chewing on his inner lip. Of course… he was a smoker in real life and he hadn't been smoking since his conversion. He'd been holding up well then, at least, that's what Nami hoped. Despite his annoying tendencies to go crazy whenever she batted an eyelash, Nami hated to see him get hurt. Sanji's eyes were upon her face, and Nami turned her gaze slowly to the floor.

"I believe captain-san… is in much pain." Robin replied in a soft voice, one that was even softer than usual, and sadder. Nami bowed her head.

"Shanks saved him…" she mumbled.

"Yes. And I believe that captain-san is guilty because he couldn't save Elder-san." Robin added. Nami nodded in agreement before drawing her knees up on the bed and resting her chin upon her knees. Sanji walked in and sat down on the bed behind Nami before hesitantly laying a hand on her back.

"What about Zoro?" Nami asked after a long silence. Robin gently slid down the wall and sat down on the floor, letting her head rest against the wall behind her. It was quiet for a little while longer and then Robin began to speak in a soft, and almost cautious voice.

"I am sure that something happened. That captain-san lost control of himself… and bit swordsman-san, but then came to his senses before killing him."

"But… how then did Zoro get converted?" Nami asked, while Sanji listened intently. The blonde really didn't know a lot about what went on around here, so he just kept silent.

"This is just an educated guess, but, I think Elder-san may have told Luffy of his heritage, and explained how to convert someone before the battle between the Fairies and ourselves. I don't like to admit it, but, I think Elder-san had a feeling that something was going to happen to him during the battle." 

"He would have had to have a feeling about Zoro and Luffy too." Sanji finally spoke. Nami glanced at him over her shoulder and Sanji shrugged, "If he told Luffy how to convert, then, wouldn't you think that he had a feeling something was going to happen to them too?" Robin nodded.

"Yes. I believe you are right, cook-san." she replied. Sanji was about to speak when he paused. Cook-san? Eh, whatever.

"But that doesn't explain why Zoro is acting like he is. I mean, Sanji was clingy and kid-like, but he wasn't like Zoro." Nami commented.

"…I was?" Sanji asked. Nami ignored him.

"No, because cook-san was converted by a well practiced converter… myself. But captain-san was doing it off of explanation alone. It's amazing that he's done as well as he has. Zoro could have simply died, or he could have become an empty shell. There, but his conscious and soul and life, would just not be there. He would just be the walking dead. Nothing more. No feelings, nothing."

"Whoa…" Sanji muttered. He hated the marimo-head but, he didn't want him to die. Nami nodded.

"I have a theory… and we'll have to wait to find it out, but, I believe that swordsman-san may have a little more to him than any usual vampire. He'll become more like Luffy than he knows." Robin said softly. Nami narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"An S clanner?" she asked. Robin shook her head and Nami's eyes widened.

"That's impossible though." a voice said from the doorway, and Usopp walked in.

"No. It's not. The conversion is energy being transferred from one being to another, and within that energy, a slight, very slight, part of the soul is given as well. I believe, the conversion was done wrong, and captain-san placed too much of his soul inside of swordsman-san."

"So… but that means we'll beat the Fairies twice as quickly!" Nami cried, getting to her feet and smiling. Robin smiled back at her.

"Maybe…"

"How long is it gonna take for Zoro to get back to normal though?" Usopp asked, sitting down on the floor near the bed. Robin shook her head.

"No more than two weeks at most. As long as Luffy just keeps teaching him, and being around him and staying with him, then Zoro should be okay." Nami replied for her, turning to Usopp and smiling. Usopp blinked.

"Is that all?" Sanji asked. Nami nodded and then a slightly evil gleam came to her eyes.

"So you know what that means." she said in a musically lilting voice. Usopp, Sanji and even Robin looked back at her blankly. She let out a dramatic sigh and then smirked.

"What are you talking about I wonder, navigator-san?" Robin asked suspiciously. Nami chuckled evilly.

"Zoro and Luffy had something going even before the conversion… and now…" she explained and grinned when comprehension dawned on Sanji and Usopp's faces, while amusement broke out on Robin's. Robin had suspected that already, but, she had only said something to Smoker and Ace after Luffy had come back.

"I wonder how the other two are doing." she said softly, getting to her feet and brushing off any dirt on her pants. Nami and Usopp bowed their heads, while Sanji looked up at the ceiling.

"I hope they're alright." Nami whispered.

---

It was dark, it was quiet… and it was a place for Luffy to take refuge, so he did. A room that had been abandoned for a long time, and was dusty and dirty inside. But there was a bed, and it was at least half decent, so he lay upon it and buried his face into a pillow. Pain was running through him like a lightning bolt, and his head was pounding from wanting to cry, but not being able to. He was too shocked to cry right now.

_Shanks… don't leave me. _

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**So yes, the news has been broken to Luffy, and now the poor kid has twice as much on his mind as he did before. Luffy's really not as stupid as some people think, and I think I made him a little too bouncy at the beginning of this story, but, eh... life goes on. See ya next time!**


	16. Zoro Speaks

**HECK! I'm sorry, i'm sorry, I'm SORRY! ;-; I'm not happy with this chapter, but I need to update! My main goal at the moment is just to FINISH this, however crappy it turns out. I've never left a fic for so long before! I'm so ashamed of myself. **

**--**

_**Night Vigil**_

_**by WishingforaZoroplushie**_

_**Chapter 16: Zoro speaks**_

Luffy didn't know how long he had been sitting there for. His track of time had been dampened by his mood, right to the point that it was now pretty much non-existent. Sleep didn't wish to come to him, and he didn't want to get up and go anywhere. The bed was not in the least comfortable, and the pillow was muffling him heavily, but it wasn't like he was going to suffocate, so he stayed right where he was.

Vaguely he heard a voice calling for him, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He didn't want anything to do with anyone at the moment. Something touched his back and he jumped and sat up, looking around to see two glowing green eyes watching him. Sighing in relief, Luffy flopped back down onto the pillow and wrapped it around his head.

"Go away Zoro." he said, his voice muffled by the pillow. There was a pause, and Luffy didn't hear footsteps, so he cracked an eye open and let the pillow down so he could glare up at Zoro's face. Sitting up, Luffy frowned, "I said, go away!" and he pointed at the door, "Get!" and he made to push Zoro off the bed, but the newest vampire leapt backwards and out of reach. He watched Luffy carefully for a moment, before opening his mouth a little.

"No." he said. Luffy frowned.

"Yes. Get!" and Zoro shook his head. Luffy let out a loud groan and mustered up the most dangerous glare he had.

"No."

"Yes!"

"Luffy…" and Zoro paused for a moment before continuing, "Help." and Luffy's face softened a little. He hadn't taught Zoro that, "Luffy… needs… help." and he smiled. Luffy stared at him, his eyes prickling painfully, but he didn't want to close them. This wasn't the human Zoro… but he was working his way back to it. Luffy shook his head slowly after at least five minutes of staring and silence.

"No. I don't…" and he bit his bottom lip, "I don't need help. I don't." and he pressed his face back into the pillow, refusing the tears that were trying to flow.

"Yes." Zoro insisted and tentatively climbed back onto the bed. Luffy swiped a hand at him, but Zoro caught it and held it. Luffy clenched his fingers as tightly as he could in an attempt to hurt Zoro, and make him let go, but the swordsman wasn't that easily bruised and Luffy soon gave up.

"Please Zoro… just go away." and Luffy wrenched at his hand, but Zoro was still holding tight.

"Let him stay, Luffy." a voice said from the doorway and Luffy groaned further.

"Go away Usopp. Please?"

"No Luffy." Usopp replied as he walked in. Luffy frowned into the pillow.

_Oh great, another one. _He thought. He heard Zoro hiss and brought his head up to stare at Usopp.

"Zoro'll hurt you if you're not careful." he said rather nastily. Usopp blinked and then frowned.

"Stop being so rude, and cruel Luffy." he snapped, "You're not the only one here who lost Shanks. Nami's been miserable all week, and Robin's the same. She won't even eat!"

"She doesn't need to Usopp." Luffy reminded him. Usopp frowned, but a light tinge came to his cheeks.

"This isn't you Luffy. Shanks wouldn't have wanted you to beat yourself up like this." Usopp said, moving to kneel by the bed on Luffy's side, but Zoro hissed again and more violently this time.

"You don't know how I feel." Luffy mumbled into the pillow he had just pushed his face back into again. Usopp bristled at the comment and his back rose.

"Oh yeah? Did you happen to realise that someone special to me, is gone too? Or were you too busy wallowing in your own self pity to even bother to notice?" Usopp snapped angrily, his voice full of hurt and emotion. Luffy slowly picked his face up out of the pillow and fixed Usopp with a suspiciously curious gaze.

"What? Who?" he asked. Usopp's lips twitched and he dropped his eyes to the ground.

"…Kaya." he mumbled. Luffy blinked.

"…Kaya? What happened?" and Luffy swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked up at Usopp with wide eyes. Usopp shook his head.

"She was killed in the fight. I tried to save her but…" and he shrugged. Luffy silently berated himself for being so insensitive.

"I-I'm sorry Usopp. It's just… I got so caught up with the fact that Shanks is _gone. _And he's not coming back…" and Luffy glanced over his shoulder, "And it's my fault Zoro's a vampire now." Zoro watched Usopp carefully, his eyes narrowed to mere slits and Usopp was finding it increasingly uncomfortable. Silence reigned through the room until Usopp spoke again.

"Yeah. I know. But Luffy, now that Zoro's a vampire… you two can be friends forever. Or… as long as you both survive." and he shrugged and smiled weakly. Luffy snorted softly and looked back at Zoro, who blinked at him and then smiled.

"Luffy…better?" he asked. Luffy smiled and laughed at that and Zoro looked confused. Usopp rose an eyebrow as Luffy turned to him and continued laughing.

"What's so funny?" a voice asked from the doorway and Ace walked in, shirtless as usual and both thumbs hooked in the belt of his shorts. Luffy looked at him.

"Nothing." he replied and then laughed even harder. Usopp looked over at Ace.

"I think your brother's lost it." he commented. Ace smirked.

"When did he have it?" and he moved over to the bed, only to get hissed at by Zoro which made the pyro jump about a foot in the air and move away from the bed rather quickly.

"What's his problem?" he asked as Zoro continued growling and hissing at him. Luffy shrugged, still chuckling.

"He's like that. He tried to kill Sanji before." and Luffy shrugged as though Zoro hadn't actually tried to kill Sanji, but had instead tried to hug him. Which, in retrospect, probably would have been weirder.

"What's up?" Usopp asked, once again attempting to sit on the bed… and nearly getting mauled by Zoro. The swordsman apparently thought that no one should be even near Luffy. Luffy didn't seem to care about Zoro's attempted murders either.

"I came in to see if I needed to play big brother, but, apparently I'm not needed." and he indicated Luffy, who was smiling a lot more happily now. He wasn't over the moon, and his smile wasn't as bright as it had once been… but time would fix that. Time heals all wounds they say… but the scar would always be there. And Luffy had a few scars now.

"No. It's not that you're not needed, it's just… hearing Zoro speak like that," and Luffy began chortling again, "It's so funny!" and he collapsed into hilarious laughter again. Zoro blinked in confusion, while Usopp took a giant step away from Luffy. The long nose was beginning to think that Luffy was crazy. A minute ago, the kid had been wallowing in his own self pity… and now he was laughing his head off like a loony.

"Luffy… weird?" Zoro suggested, raising an eyebrow. Ace snorted and placed a hand over his mouth for a minute before bursting into laughter as well.

"True, Zoro, very true." Usopp nodded, smirking. Luffy blinked at Zoro. How was he learning all these new words?

"Zoro, do you understand us now?" Luffy asked. Zoro blinked at him dumbly for a second before slowly nodding.

"Yes…" and Luffy blinked and then Zoro looked nervous and shook his head, "No?"

"Aw, you're confusing the puppy." Ace teased and Luffy glared at him.

"Zoro's not a puppy, don't be mean." and Ace shrugged in response. Usopp sniggered at the remark.

"He acts like one."

"Not his fault." Luffy mumbled as he stared into Zoro's eyes. There was some stirring of something there, and the deep green wasn't blank anymore. It was slowly, very slowly, becoming more intelligent again. Maybe Zoro wouldn't take as long to recover from the conversion as Luffy had originally thought. Maybe Zoro would be okay! That was when Zoro collapsed sideways onto the bed, and snored. Luffy sighed.

"Guess I'm staying here until he wakes up again." he muttered. Ace and Usopp blinked.

"Why?" they asked. Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Because he's got a firm hold on my arm, and it's near impossible to free myself from this." and he lifted up his arm to show that Zoro had his hand intertwined with Luffy's arm, the rubber flesh wrapped around his fingers and wrist.

"Yeah, you're not going anywhere." Ace commented and yawned, straightening and cracking his back.

"I'm hungry." Usopp said suddenly. Ace nodded.

"Let's go eat." and they walked out. Luffy blinked after them, but didn't say anything. He was going to avoid blood for a little longer yet. He didn't think he could face letting his fangs out again anytime soon. Zoro gave a heavy sigh beside him and Luffy lay back down.

"I hope you'll be okay Zoro." he said quietly.

--

Robin leaned back in her chair and raised her eyes to the ceiling. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. What had happened to cause such a disturbance. And then it hit her. Kuro had learned his full potential… and he was using it to his advantage. He wouldn't be able to go to full strength until the eclipse, but sure as hell he would use what power he could. That was a definite. Taking a deep breath, Robin went back to her book. For the moment, there was nothing to be done. When it came time, Luffy would figure everything out. She had faith in him. Just as she had always had faith in Shanks.

But there was still the remaining fact that Zoro was now a Rune as well. Biting her bottom lip and finding herself not even concentrating on the words on the paper before her, Robin got to her feet and gently closed the book before laying it on the small table beside her chair. It was regrettable that Luffy had made the mistake… but Zoro didn't seem to be any worse for wear. Robin could only hope that nothing bad would develop from the current situation.

--

He didn't know when he had drifted off to sleep, and he wasn't sure when he had awoken either. It was a drifting… that place between sleep and awake, where your mind continues to dream even though your senses know you are in fact awake. And your mind does not wish to let go, and just wants to hold on to that dream, to that place where nothing bad could possibly happen because inside your own mind is a sanctuary.

Despite whether this is true or not, that is what the mind believes… and will continue to believe. And eventually, though reluctantly, the mind will relax it's hold and let the dreamer awaken. The first thing he saw _upon _awakening, was a face in his own… one that he knew… but didn't know. A name ran through his mind, and instinctively he spoke it aloud.

"Luffy." he said softly, and though the face twitched slightly, the eyes did not open and Luffy stayed asleep. Groaning slightly, he squeezed his eyes shut, and then reopened them to get rid of the remaining fuzziness in his head. Small flashes of moments and memories occasionally ran through his head and served only to confuse Zoro more as he sat up slowly and looked around. This place didn't look familiar. The room wasn't one that he remembered being in.

Actually… he didn't remember being in any rooms. Whoa! Talk about a massive mind blank! Zoro shook his head and gently banged his palm against the side of his head. What the hell was going on here?

"Th… hel… go…on?" Zoro croaked but couldn't seem to get his throat to work. He cleared it and tried again, but the words continued to come out broken. Maybe if he didn't try complete sentences? Pausing a moment, Zoro frowned.

"Chair." he said aloud, spotting one in the corner of the room. Well that worked well, "Wall. Ove… the…" and he let out an aggravated sigh. The hell was up with that!? Beside him, the person who came to mind as 'Luffy' began to awake. Opening tired eyes, Luffy looked up and saw Zoro looking back at him.

"Zoro…" and he sat up, rubbing at his face, "What's wrong?" and he looked around. Not spotting anything unusual, Luffy turned back to Zoro again and narrowed his eyes.

"Can… spe…" Zoro noise and growled in frustration. Luffy blinked.

"You've gone backwards. You were speaking sentences before." Luffy muttered, leaning a little closer to Zoro, who edged away slightly and gave Luffy an annoyed look.

"Hey!" Luffy suddenly cried before a bright smile lit his face, "Zoro's back!" and he was tempted to give the swordsman one big hug, but… thought better of it and instead settled for patting Zoro enthusiastically on the shoulder.

"W-what?" and Zoro frowned before deciding that to talk, he would have to think this out very carefully, "I. Never. Left." and he smiled. That worked! It seemed that only when he tried to string words together, that everything went all haywire. Luffy blanched at the sentence and bowed his head slightly before smiling.

"Right." and with a chuckle he got off the bed and made for the door. Pausing in the doorway, Luffy turned back, "Coming?" and Zoro watched him for a moment before following. Everything here was so new, and so weird. But the blank at the back of his mind was even weirder. But some things still stuck there, like how his swords felt right at his hip, and walking was natural.

"Marimo lives after all." a voice said behind him… and Zoro turned with narrowed eyes and a grimace. A red haired woman was beside that person whose name he knew to be Sanji, but he ignored her. Luffy's eyes shifted and he smiled.

"Yeah. He's okay now Nami! He looks better. Not so… clueless." and Luffy chuckled, though it was a humourless chuckle. Nami made it a point to elbow Sanji discreetly in the ribs as she walked past and over to Zoro.

"Zoro! This is Nami! She's a friend." Luffy said. Nami raised an eyebrow as she looked up at Zoro.

"Well, he does look better." and she smiled, "See? It turned out alright after all." and she gave Luffy a short pat on the shoulder before walking past him. Sanji moved to follow, still rubbing the sore spot at his side.

"See ya." he said as he walked past, ignoring Zoro's suddenly intensified growls. Luffy frowned.

"You still don't like him, huh?" he asked once Sanji had gone. Zoro looked down at him before shaking his head.

"Sanji." he muttered a little vehemently. Luffy sighed.

"Sanji's a friend." he said sternly, "He's not your enemy, so stop acting that way." and Luffy glared at him. Zoro found this to be frightening and he felt it to be an order he would have to obey.

"Fine." he mumbled, turning his face away. Luffy sighed.

"Come on." and he began walking away. Zoro blinked, confusion running through him before he followed.

"What?"

"Nothing." Luffy replied, still striding rather fast. Zoro frowned. Something that also stuck in his mind, was the fact that he didn't like seeing Luffy mad, and he liked Luffy being mad at _him, _even less.

"What. Did. I. Do?" Zoro spoke jerkily. Luffy shook his head.

"Nothing." and he turned a corner. Luffy was… what was that word? Oh… pissed. That was it. Zoro hurried after him and grabbed Luffy's shoulder, stopping him.

"Tell. Me?"

"No."

"Please?" and Luffy finally turned his eyes up to Zoro's face.

"…I'd hoped…" and he trailed off before shaking his head, "That you would be the same. But you're not. You're… different."

"How?"

"You used to be able to control yourself for one!" Luffy said. Zoro's brows furrowed.

"I. Can." and he shrugged, "I. Didn't. Do. Anything." and Luffy subsided.

"…I guess." and Luffy shook his head and pushed his palm against his face, "I'm sorry. I'm so stupid." and he turned to walk away again.

"No. You're. Not." and he smiled, "Just. Considerate." Luffy paused, and turned to looked over his shoulder, quirking a smile at the green haired man.

"Whatever you reckon." and he walked away. Zoro smiled and followed once more. He was getting to like being around Luffy pretty quickly. He looked around at all the different things on the walls, and the dimness of the area. Luffy noticed and smiled, and then began explaining what everything was. Why it was there, and what little history he knew of it.

Zoro didn't reply to anything, but when Luffy looked at him to make sure he was still listening, Zoro nodded his head in acknowledgement. Later on they took a nap, or more Zoro took a nap and Luffy watched and waited for him to wake up again. Zoro sure did sleep a lot. The two were sitting in an abandoned part of the Hall when Robin walked up to them and crouched down in front of Luffy.

"It's nearly time." she said softly and glanced at Zoro. Luffy made to get up and leave Zoro alone, but Robin shook her head, "No. You need to bring him with you."

"W-why?" Luffy asked, unsure. Robin smiled.

"He's just like you now." she replied. Luffy blinked and then his eyes widened.

"He's…" and he looked down at Zoro, "But how? I thought… I thought there was only one?"

"It's how you did the conversion, but this isn't the time captain-san. We need to get you to a safe place so you can transform."

"But it's not the eclipse yet, that's tomorrow."

"Yes. But, before the eclipse, you will begin to transform. It is nearly midnight, and once the long hand hits midnight… you'll begin to transform… along with swordsman-san. So please, let's move." and she grabbed Luffy's hand and Luffy grabbed Zoro's and they ran. It had been a long time since Luffy had seen Robin panicked… actually, he never remembered Robin _ever _being panicked at all! It was a little unnerving… but Luffy could see why she was acting that way.

--

Midnight… Robin twitched nervously outside the room as she heard a low moan. It sounded… like they were in pain. This was what they needed, but she hadn't thought it would cause any pain to anyone other than the Fairies. Glancing at the clock, Robin frowned sourly as the minute hand barely moved past the twelve. It was now one minute after… and it was taking forever for those two to transform! Everyone else was running around, sorting things out and getting things ready for the two Runes. It was becoming… panicked. The atmosphere was tense, and the night was dragging. Soon… Robin had to force herself to calm when she heard a yelp of pain from inside. She had a feeling that this was going to go on all night.

--

Raising her head tiredly, Robin blinked awake. She hadn't fallen asleep like that in a long, long time. Must have been the stress, or the fear, or something. Either way, she jumped as she remembered what she was supposed to be standing guard over. Getting out of her chair, she grabbed the door handle, gulped and then opened it. The room was dark… and cold. There was no sound at all… nothing. Not even a mouse squeaking. Slowly stepping into the room, Robin stopped and looked down. The floor was covered in ash, black and soft, but as cold as the rest of the room.

"Luffy?" she asked, not even calling him by his nickname, "Zoro?" and she took another step. A low growl met her ears and she stepped back rather quickly and gulped.

"A-are you two okay?" she asked into the silence, but received no response. What happened next, made her vampire heart nearly leap out of her chest. Two luminous red eyes opened and pierced the darkness, staring straight at her. They were on the far side of the room… and then they were right in front of her, Luffy's face looking down at her as a smirk slid across his face, revealing a row of sharp teeth, instead of just the usual two larger canines.

"Oh god… Luffy," Robin gasped, putting a hand to her chest, "You frightened the hell out of me."

"Sorry…" he replied, his voice echoing strangely. He stepped into the room and clicked his fingers and a burst of light that had nothing to do with the sun, flooded the room. Robin looked around in amazement. Yes, vampire's had simple mental powers. The ability to nudge things from a distance, turn switches on and off, and move medium size objects. But they didn't have the ability to create light from nothing. Luffy was standing in the centre of the room now, and Robin couldn't see Zoro anywhere.

"Well?" Luffy asked, turning to look at her with his bright eyes. Robin stepped in and the door slammed shut behind her of it's own accord. Locking his hands behind his back, Luffy turned to face her and Robin got the full view. Luffy's eyes weren't the only thing that had changed. He had no shirt anymore, and his body hadn't changed shape, or size, or anything so grotesque or blatantly obvious as that.

His skin was glowing… but not red. Not like his eyes. It had a light, almost bluish tinge to it, like something ethereal. And he probably was. Luffy noticed her watching and he held up a hand, wriggling long and spindly fingers that ended in the same bluish material as the tinge to his skin. Long, about two centimetre claws extended from the finger tips and as he turned his hand, they disappeared, and then when he turned back, they materialised on his hand again. Luffy smiled like a magician who had just pulled off one of the best magic tricks in the world as he took a step towards her. It was then that she noticed how when Luffy stepped, he made no noise at all. His feet didn't seem to touch the ground at all.

"…Captain-san…" she whispered as she watched and Luffy chuckled, his voice still echoing slightly, but not unbelievably.

"You wait until you see Zoro…" he said, still moving his hand and marvelling at the way the claws continued to disappear and then reappear. Robin blinked and looked around, but still couldn't see anything. Then, much as Luffy had done, green eyes were in her own and she gave a short scream and jumped backwards, hitting her elbow on the door and wincing.

"Watch what you're doing…" Zoro growled, his voice echoing like Luffy's, but not filled with concern. Whereas Luffy had emotion… Zoro seemed only to be able to fill his voice with malice. But then… Robin had only heard him speak one sentence. Luffy was chuckling in the background and Zoro turned to him, smiling rather nastily as he walked over to the boy and then stood beside him. Robin looked at the two of them, and noticed that where Luffy was tinged with blue, Zoro was tinged with white. He had claws the same as Luffy's and his eyes were glowing green instead of red. Luffy bent over and picked up his straw hat, brushing it off before setting it on his head. So… their personalities were similar to their vampire forms.

"Yes… we are the same." Luffy said. Robin blinked. Zoro was talking normally, so it wasn't just malice he could speak. Wait... They could read minds?

"Yes, we can read minds." Zoro added and the two chuckled exactly in time. Like Luffy, Zoro had no shirt on but Robin was slightly amazed to see thin trails of markings spreading down his chest. Swirling and curling in patterns. She turned to Luffy, who turned a little and revealed that he had similar markings, but in blue.

"We don't know what they mean." Luffy and Zoro said together, "But they seem to react to darkness." Robin blinked at them, still shocked and amazed, the pain in her elbow long gone.

"You… talk perfectly in time." she commented as she watched them and Zoro and Luffy nodded together.

"We are joined."

"We can talk apart." Luffy said individually.

"But we choose not to." Zoro added.

"And so we talk together. Makes us sound more powerful." and Robin slowly shook her head.

"But… do you know why destiny has chosen _both _of you?" she asked softly. Luffy and Zoro burst into laughter.

"Destiny!?" they snorted and then calmed, both grimacing, "No… we don't know why. All we know is, once we destroy the Fairies, our lives will end."

"But-"

"No buts. It is the natural movement of the Runes. Another thousand years into the future, another Vampire will be chosen." they said, cutting Robin off. Luffy smiled and his eyes fell softly on her.

"Don't worry," he said, Zoro watching him, "Everything will be fine. I promise." Robin looked at him, and then she gulped and nodded.

"Ok. What do you want us to do?"

--

**See!? It's nothing like my standard as of late! This was written... what... last year? I didn't want to post it until I got 18 finished, but it's only about 300 words off now, so meh. ... um... reviews? ... -is shot, stabbed, buried and then dug up to have the process repeated- ow... o-o**


	17. Note

*Contains offensive language. I apologise profusely to those this isn't intended towards.*

hello. Sorry this isn't an update, but I have a bone to pick with a gutless coward of a reviewer. Who wanted me to reply, but was too pathetic to use their name to do so. Way to go, man. Dude, seriously, if you're gonna tell someone off? USE. YOUR. NAME! You gutless coward! I can't believe this! I wouldn't be so angry about it if you'd bothered to tell me who you are, but seriously! I mean... dude, you can go to hell for this. Embarassing me publicly, or attempting to. It's not gonna work. You've just hung yourself, basically.

Writer's block? A bout? Do you have ANY idea what writer's block is LIKE!? You can't write, you can't do anything, you get depressed and you end up writing crap that makes you NEVER. EVER want to write again! And if you admit YOU don't update, DON'T FUCKING TELL OTHER PEOPLE TO DO SO!! Selfish COWARD.

As to my plan for this, I do have it planned out, and I was writing it avidly from the beginning. But I wrote this for ages, and got sick of it. That, I admit, is wrong. And I will admit you do have a good point, whoever you are. I have an idea who you might be, but I don't know for sure. I don't really give a fuck, to be honest. You're a moron. Your brain is in your ass if you think writing is as easy as going 'Oh, look, mary had a lamb. that lamb was pretty. Oh look, the lamb died. The end.'

Do you know how long novelists take to write a book? An average book will take a writer at least 4-10 years. YEARS. Not 4-10 weeks! or months, or whatever you think!

People like you make me never, ever want to write again. Because guilt doesn't make me do things. Guilt makes me NOT do something. So don't fucking push me. I've HAD it with people like you, who decide to fuckin' take it upon themselves to 'Justify the world'. push me into writing some more, or deleting the story just because YOU, who by the way I don't like, tell me to.

You have to know. YOU have to know. So why didn't you tell me your name, eh? You love this story so goddamn much, why write a review like that, eh? Just because you want to see it continue. Noticed I haven't updated anything in a while? Eh? Opened your eyes long enough to see that? And I haven't gotten any reviews from other people like the one you gave me. Oh, that's right, you love the story, don't you? That makes you the best thing since sliced bread, doesn't it? Oh wow, I'm sorry, let me kiss your feet, shall I? NOT! tch...

As to other readers who are waiting patiently and leaving me alone, I thank you very, very much. I hate being nudged to do things, because then I stop doing them altogether.

As to the reviewer I'm speaking to. I have one last thing to say to you.

Go fuck yourself.

I apologise again to everyone this is NOT intended towards. I'm sure a lot of you are waiting for this, and I'm very very sorry, but after this review, I don't know if I want to write it anymore. Thank you Miss anonymous, you just ruined it for everybody. I hope you're satisfied.


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